


Just Imagine

by Kythe42



Series: Just Imagine Forever [1]
Category: Forever (TV)
Genre: Angst, Episode Related, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Missing Scene, Sick Fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-09
Updated: 2015-11-02
Packaged: 2018-02-28 20:09:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 22,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2745410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kythe42/pseuds/Kythe42
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a series of unrelated one shots and drabbles that I will continue to add to as I think of ideas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Truth or Dare

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I’m merely borrowing them for my own amusement.
> 
> Spoilers: Minor reference to something that happened in Season 1 Episode 10.
> 
> Author's Notes: This is a series of unrelated one shots and drabbles that I will continue to add to as I think of ideas.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jo and Henry try to get to know each other a little better over a game of Truth or Dare.

"Truth or Dare?" Henry asked raising an eyebrow at Jo's suggestion. She had come over to have dinner with him and Abe again and Abe had gone to bed a little while ago leaving him alone with Jo and a bottle of wine. "I thought that was a game only played at adolescent parties," he said thinking back to some of Abe's childhood sleepovers. "At least it sounds juvenile."

Jo laughed. "I take it you've never played. It can be a fun way for adults to get to know each other too. How about I change the rules a bit to make it somewhat less juvenile? We'll just ask each other questions that we have to answer honestly, but if there's a question we really don't want to answer, then we can choose to do a dare instead. How does that sound?"

"Alright I'm game," Henry said against his better judgment. He just hoped he could remember to omit details and change them around as needed. He'd already drunk more wine tonight than he normally did and he suspected that he and Jo would be finishing off the bottle.

Jo smiled. "Great. Here's an easy question to start out with. What's your favorite color?"

"Hmm not so simple a question as you might think," Henry said and pondered the question for a moment. "I suppose I particularly favor dark red and maroon shades, but depending on my mood sometimes my favorite colors can change to dark blues or grays."

Jo nodded not surprised. His answer seemed to match closely with the colors of scarves and waistcoats he wore. "Your turn," she said when she saw him looking at her expectantly.

"Alright, an easy question for you. What is your favorite dessert?"

Jo thought for a moment. "I'd probably have to say rocky road ice cream. It's not really the flavor so much, but the name seems like a good metaphor for my life."

Henry chuckled. "The same could well be said of me."

"Ok when's your birthday?"

Henry raised an eyebrow. "Why do you want to know? Are you planning on throwing me a surprise party?"

Jo laughed. "If I told you, then it wouldn't be a surprise. Just answer the question."

"Fine, September, 19th 1779." Then Henry nearly choked on his wine when he saw Jo's eyebrows shoot up and he realized his error. "1979, I meant!" he corrected himself emphatically.

Jo burst out laughing. "You know I might actually believe you if 1779 was the real year. It would certainly explain a lot."

Henry shook his head slightly and smiled. He couldn't believe what a blunder he'd made but he was sure Jo would just blame it on the alcohol. "Alright, my turn again. Were you ever in any plays other than My Fair Lady?"

Jo shook her head. "Nope, I discovered I didn't really like performing in front of an audience very much."

Henry nodded. "That's certainly understandable."

Jo took a sip of her wine. "Ok a more serious question now. How did you and Abigail meet?"

Henry sighed visualizing the memory of their first meeting. It hadn't exactly been love at first sight, but he had felt an immediate connection with her.

"Henry are you ok?"

"Yes sorry. I was just remembering it. I met Abigail through work. She was a nurse and we worked in the same hospital at the time." It wasn't exactly the story of their first meeting and he'd left out a lot of major details, but it was true enough. "Well I suppose one serious question deserves another. Do you consider us to be friends Jo?"

Jo set her wine glass down on the table taken aback by the question. It wasn't the question itself that surprised her so much but the way in which he'd asked it. There was a look of such longing on his face like he'd be crushed if she said no. "Of course I do Henry. I just wish I knew you better, which is why I wanted to play this game."

Henry smiled and nodded. "That's good to know. As I'm sure you've noticed I don't have many friends. No one other than Abe really. Making and keeping friends has never been easy for me."

"Well all of your eccentricities aside, I think part of the problem is that you really don't open yourself up to people. You've got a really thick shell that's hard to break through and even after a few months of working with you I feel like I barely know you aside from your personality."

"I know, it's just difficult. I've suffered a lot of trauma in my life," he explained.

Jo nodded. "Yes you have, even in just the short time I've known you. In fact you seem to be a magnet for it."

"It's one of my many talents," Henry said with a half-smile trying to lighten the mood again.

"So it's my turn again. Tell me what happened to Abigail?" she asked gently.

Henry stiffened and frowned at the question. "I'm sorry Jo, I don't think I'm up to talking about that right now. I promise I'll tell you someday, just not tonight."

Jo gave him an understanding smile. "Hey it's ok. I get it. It's painful to think about those things. I'll be here when you're ready."

Henry smiled back at her. "Thank you, your patience with me seems to know no bounds and I truly appreciate it."

"Of course you do realize you have to perform a dare now," said Jo grinning. "Don't worry, I won't make you do anything too embarrassing," she said when she saw a look of panic cross Henry's face. "I dare you to put on every scarf you own at the same time and model them all for me," Jo instructed him with a wide grin.

Henry raised an eyebrow and laughed. "Oh dear, this may take some time. Please feel free to watch TV in the living room while you wait." He got up and headed up to his bedroom.

Jo figured he had to be exaggerating. How many scarves could one man own even if he collected them? After half an hour passed and he still hadn't come back down, she decided to take him up on his offer and moved to the living room couch and started flipping through the channels on the TV. At some point she dozed off and when she finally woke up and looked at her watch she saw that over three hours had passed. She looked around the room half expecting Henry to be sitting somewhere covered in scarves but not wanting to wake her. He was nowhere in sight though and she figured she should probably go check on him. She turned off the TV and climbed the stairs to the top floor. The door to his bedroom was open and when she looked inside she nearly fell over laughing. Henry was standing in front of a large antique chest of drawers with all of the drawers open. He had a mountain of scarves draped around his neck, and even more still hanging from each of his arms. He'd even tied a bunch of scarves around his waist too. He was still putting more scarves on and looked as if he could barely stand up anymore under the weight of them. "Oh my god Henry!" Jo exclaimed once she'd managed to stop laughing. "I think you can stop now."

"But you told me I had to put them all on and I haven't finished yet," he answered giving her his most charming smirk.

"I seriously need a picture of this." She pulled out her phone and snapped a few photos of the scarf encased Henry and not a moment too soon as his legs seemed to give out and he staggered backwards and fell down onto his bed. Jo started laughing again in spite of herself. "Ok consider the terms of the dare satisfied. This was so worth waiting three hours for," she said with a wide grin and started to help Henry untangle himself from his scarf collection.

"Well I do aim to please," he replied with a wink.

"I think you might need help. Is there a scarf addicts support group you can join?" Jo asked teasingly.

"No, believe me I've looked," Henry deadpanned.

"Well it's late and I should get going, but I had fun. We should do this again sometime."

Henry nodded. "So did I. Perhaps next time I'll have a fun dare for you to complete."

Jo just laughed knowing the wheels in his head were already turning thinking of fun dares he could have her do while still remaining a gentleman.


	2. Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry has the weirdest nightmares.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I’m merely borrowing them for my own amusement.
> 
>  
> 
> Author's Notes: This is a series of unrelated one shots and drabbles that I will continue to add to as I think of ideas.

Abe woke with a jolt to the sudden sound of bloodcurdling screams. He leapt out of bed and ran into the next bedroom and saw his father sitting up in bed breathing hard and clutching his chest with a horrified look on his face. "What is it? What happened?" Abe asked full of concern.

Henry took a few more moments to catch his breath and then looked up at his son. "Oh Abe, I've just had the most horrific nightmare."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Abe asked gently and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"In the dream I was working a case with Jo and she wanted me to do some undercover work. She made me wear... she made me wear..." Henry trailed off finding himself too overcome to speak.

"What, did she make you wear a dress?" Abe asked with a smirk.

Henry shook his head. "No it was even worse than that. She made me wear... denim," he said spitting the last word out as if it was poison and closed his eyes with a shudder.

Abe took a moment to let that sink in as he gave his father a look of utter disbelief. "You woke me up over denim? Unbelievable, I'm going back to bed," said Abe and muttered under his breath as he left the room.

Henry just cringed knowing it would take him weeks to get those images out of his head.


	3. Congratulations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Henry, Abe, and Jo are exchanging holiday gifts, Henry finds an unexpected present under the tree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I’m merely borrowing them for my own amusement.
> 
> Spoilers: Spoilers for Season 1 Episode 11.
> 
> Author's Notes: This is a series of unrelated one shots and drabbles that I will continue to add to as I think of ideas. This story was inspired by [henrymorgandaily](http://henrymorgandaily.tumblr.com) over on Tumblr.

Henry was having more fun than he expected sitting around the Christmas tree with Abe and Jo talking and laughing and exchanging gifts. It seemed it was just what he needed to help get his mind off of his recent traumas. It almost felt like Jo was starting to become part of the family and it felt nice even if it was in a purely platonic sense. Henry had gotten Abe a new sweater and Jo a bottle of Macallan 25 saying it was so she wouldn't be tempted to drink cheap alcohol even at home. He shook his head and laughed when it turned out that both Abe and Jo had gotten him a new scarf. After all the gifts were exchanged there was still one under the tree and it certainly wasn't from him. He stood up and picked up the large flat rectangular package and saw that the card on the outside had his name on it. "Abe did you get me an extra present?" he asked with a tone of playful suspicion.

"Nope," Abe answered shaking his head. "It's not from me."

"It's not from me either," said Jo when Henry looked at her questioningly.

Henry frowned wondering who else could have possibly snuck a gift under the tree and opened the card. His face immediately fell as he read it and saw who it was from.

          Dear Henry,

          I just wanted to congratulate you again on your first cold-blooded murder. I got you a small gift to commemorate the occasion.

          Merry Christmas,

          Adam

Henry felt his hands start to shake as he unwrapped the package. Inside was a framed certificate that did indeed commemorate his first murder and even had a small photograph of him stabbing the victim.

His heart started racing and he felt his legs grow weak and found himself sitting down hard on the couch next to Abe. The certificate itself was bad enough, but how the hell had Adam managed to take a picture of him killing Clark Walker? He was going to have to check the whole building for hidden cameras.

"Henry are you alright?" Jo asked full of curiosity as to what sort of gift would upset him so.

"What's wrong, who was the gift from?" Abe asked with concern.

Henry looked over to Abe wanting to show him the card and the certificate, but he didn't want Jo to see. He wasn't sure what to do, but since Jo was here and she could clearly see how upset he was, he supposed there wasn't really any way out of Jo finding out that his stalker was still alive. He handed the card and certificate over to Abe whose mouth dropped open after he'd looked them over. Abe gave Henry a stern knowing look and then handed the card and the certificate over to Jo without even asking his permission. Jo frowned as she read the card and then as she looked over the certificate the look on her face turned to one of red-hot anger. Henry wasn't sure if the look of anger was directed at him or at Adam.

"This is sick, really sick," said Jo with her face drawn tight. "I guess Clark Walker wasn't your stalker after all."

"So it would seem," Henry answered carefully trying to make it seem like this was the first time he realized that the man he had killed was not Adam. He put his head in his hands as a flood of emotions washed over him reminding him of the day it had all happened. In his rational mind he knew he had killed in self-defense, but as hard as he tried not to let Adam's cruel words and depraved gift get to him, he felt himself sinking down into a pit of despair.

Jo got up from her chair and knelt down in front of Henry and took his hands in hers. "Hey look at me Henry. We are going to catch this guy. You have to believe that. You're going to be ok."

"No, no I won't," Henry answered in a small voice shaking his head. "I killed the wrong man."

"It doesn't matter, he attacked you, and you defended yourself," Abe insisted.

"Abe's right," said Jo. "It doesn't matter if the man you killed wasn't your actual stalker. He was a psychopathic serial killer and he would have killed you if you hadn't killed him first."

Henry just shook his head again thinking that it did matter because if he died he would have just come back to life. He was a doctor and he knew there were ways he could have disabled the man without killing him. Of course this was easier said than done in the heat of battle, but he still felt that things could have and should have ended differently than they had. Jo motioned for him to move over and when he did Jo got up and sat down next to him on the couch so that he was squeezed between her and Abe. Then as if by some unspoken signal they both wrapped their arms around him trying to offer him the comfort and safety of their arms. Under normal circumstances he might have struggled against Jo's embrace if not Abe's, but now he lacked the emotional strength to resist and let his son and his partner hold him and felt himself starting to feel bit better even if he didn't really feel like he deserved to feel better.

"That's better," said Jo seeing a slight smile start to creep back onto Henry's face. "It's Christmas, let's forget about that creep and go back to enjoying ourselves."

"Yes you're quite right. I think I'll be alright now, at least for tonight."

"Just remember, we're here for you whenever you need us," said Abe giving Henry another tight hug.

Jo nodded. "And not just me and Abe. I know you're not as close with Lucas, Hanson, and Reece, but you know that you've got their support as well if you need it."

"Yes I know, though I'm not sure I could ever confide in Lucas," said Henry solemnly.

"Oh come on, give the kid a break," said Jo. "You know he really does look up to you."

"Yes I know. What I mean is that it would need to be a slow gradual process over time if I did. I think if I just came out and started confiding to him all of my secrets, the poor boy would have a coronary," Henry answered with a slight chuckle.

Jo laughed. "You might have a point there."

Abe poured them all another round of eggnog, and put on a record playing an instrumental version of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, and smiled as he watched his father laugh and joke with Jo knowing that at least for now they could relax and forget about Adam and the havoc he would likely wreak on their lives in the coming months.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story originally started out as a funny idea, but then it just kind of turned dark, so I apologize to anyone who was expecting something more lighthearted.
> 
> I wasn't really sure if I should keep referring to Adam as Adam or start using the name Lewis, but I figure the name he goes by in his identity as a psychiatrist probably isn't any more real than Adam is, so I decided to keep using Adam.


	4. Aging or Lack Thereof

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jo is starting to notice that Henry doesn't seem to age, so Henry decides on a course of action to make her think otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I’m merely borrowing them for my own amusement.
> 
> Author's Notes: This is a series of unrelated one shots and drabbles that I will continue to add to as I think of ideas.

"Well would you look at that. It seems the eternally youthful Henry Morgan does age after all," Jo remarked playfully as she entered Henry's office.

"I beg your pardon?" said Henry feigning confusion as he looked up from the file he was reading.

"I see you finally broke down and went to see an eye doctor," Jo clarified. "I told you that you needed glasses."

"Oh yes that," said Henry. He removed the antique circular gunmetal gray wire-rimmed glasses he was wearing and examined them thoughtfully for a moment before putting them back on. "Well you were quite right. It seems I've developed a touch of astigmatism." This of course was a complete lie. When Jo had remarked a month ago that it seemed as if he hadn't aged a day in the eight years that she had known him, he knew he had to start taking measures to protect his secret. Gradually dying his hair more and more gray was quite tiresome and he wanted to put it off for as long as possible so he decided that wearing a pair of non-prescription glasses would be easier. He hadn't started wearing the glasses right away though, he had to be more covert than that. He'd started off by forcing himself to squint more and more often until Jo had taken notice and started to nag him about getting his eyes checked. It was all the more convincing if she thought it was her idea and something she could gloat over.

"Where did you find those frames anyway? They look ancient," Jo remarked teasingly.

"They've been lying around the antiques shop for years. I suppose there's not much demand for antique glasses, but I rather think they suit me."

"Yes they do, they really emphasize that whole professor look you have going on."

Henry raised an eyebrow. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"It was meant as one," Jo said with a friendly smile and then she sighed. "Age is creeping up on us all. Before you know it we're both going to have gray hair coming in."

"What makes you think I haven't already started to color my hair to cover up the gray?" he answered with one of his half grins.

Jo laughed. "I had no idea you were that vain Henry. In that case I'm surprised that you didn't go for contact lenses."

"Well the idea of sticking something in my eyes doesn't exactly appeal to me. I did order some though just to try them out, but I will need to wait for them to arrive in the mail," he explained lying again. He wasn't entirely sure if he could get away with pretending to wear contact lenses though. If Jo ever looked at him closely enough, she'd be able to see that there weren't any in his eyes. It was probably best to just tell her that after trying them, he found contact lenses to be highly uncomfortable and would stick to wearing glasses. Of course this plan would require him to remember to wear the glasses all the time, but he thought it much less likely that she'd notice that lenses in the frames were non-prescription.

Jo nodded. "Well we've got another body. Let's go professor. At least it will be the first time in weeks that I won't have to be worried that you'll miss something because you were in denial about your deteriorating eyesight."

Henry narrowed his eyes at Jo as he put on his coat and scarf and as he followed her out of the morgue he treated her to a lecture on how in many cases other senses can be more valuable than eyesight when investigating a crime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really do hope that Jo finds out about Henry's secret long before eight years, but even if she did know, Henry would probably have to start doing things to make himself appear older anyway.


	5. Shock Value

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry often likes to do and say things that shock people, and attending a costume party is certainly no exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I’m merely borrowing them for my own amusement.
> 
> Author's Notes: This is a series of unrelated one shots and drabbles that I will continue to add to as I think of ideas.

"Oh my god! What are you wearing and what the hell did you do to your hair!" Abe exclaimed as Henry entered the kitchen. He was wearing a black velvet suit with a white dress shirt and a dark red satin waistcoat. He had on a scarf as usual but it was nothing like the ones he usually wore. It was a glaring black satin thing with white arrow marks on it. He had a chain-link bracelet on his left wrist and was wearing a skull ring on his pinky. Styling gel had been used to straighten his normally soft gently curling hair and it was sticking out messily in all directions. He was clean-shaven for the first time in years and had used white face powder to make himself even paler than usual and Abe could swear that he was even wearing a hint of black eyeliner.

 

Henry grinned flashing a set of very realistic looking fangs at Abe. "What? I'm going to a Halloween costume party, which you insisted that I attend by the way, and I'm dressed as a vampire."

 

"Yes I wanted you to go to the party, to get out and have some fun, but I didn't expect you to dress like this. I figured you'd dress up as Sherlock Holmes or some eighteenth century noble," said Abe still shaking his head at Henry's outfit.

 

"Yes I'm sure that's what everyone will be expecting me to dress up as, which is why I chose to go as a vampire," he answered with a smirk. "Got to keep them on their toes, though they'll probably be shocked enough that I'm even showing up. Besides, I find the idea of attending the party as a vampire extremely humorous. If I want to go as an immortal, this is certainly the most obvious way to do it."

 

Abe nodded. "Though vampires aren't really immortal when compared to you. They can usually be killed by being beheaded, burned alive, or having a stake shoved through their heart and you've survived all of those things."

 

Henry chuckled. "Yes and I'm also grateful to be able to walk around in daylight and enjoy good food and drink rather than subsisting on blood."

 

"Well have a good time and try to behave yourself."

 

"No promises," said Henry flashing Abe another fang-filled grin.

 

\------

 

Henry arrived at the party about fifteen minutes late. He knew he had spent far too much time on his hair trying to get it to look just right. There were already a bunch of people there talking and laughing and partaking of refreshments. He saw Jo sitting at one of the tables. She had on a long black dress and a pointy witch's hat and she was talking to Hanson who appeared to be dressed as Frankenstein's monster. She looked up and spotted him and gave him a confused look. She then excused herself and walked over to him.

 

"Henry is that you?" Jo asked with a raised eyebrow. "I'm not sure I'd have recognized you without the ubiquitous scarf."

 

Henry nodded and grinned widely to make sure she saw his fangs. "Yes well it is a costume party after all."

 

Jo's eyes widened in surprise. "Wow those look so real. You didn't make them out of real teeth did you?"

 

Henry laughed. "Of course not, what do you take me for? I thought you knew me better than that."

 

"I don't know. The Henry Morgan I know wouldn't be caught dead dressing like this. Besides you do have a collection of body parts in jars in your lab," she pointed out.

 

"Alright, your point is well taken," he conceded.

 

"You know if I had to imagine you dressing up as a vampire, you wouldn't look anything like this in my head. I'd have figured that you'd go more for the Vampire Lestat look."

 

"I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with that literary figure."

 

"Really? You dress up as a vampire and you have no idea who Lestat is? Ok well he was an eighteenth century vampire and a bit of an aristocrat."

 

Henry laughed. "And that's precisely why I did not dress that way. My intent tonight was to defy expectations."

 

"Well you've certainly succeeded there," said Jo with a laugh of her own. "Oh you have got to see Lucas's costume."

 

"Don't tell me he's wearing the same outfit as me?" Henry joked.

 

"No I'm not telling. You have to see it for yourself," Jo insisted and led Henry over to where Lucas was chatting with another lab assistant by the refreshments table.

 

Henry's mouth dropped open in surprise when he saw Lucas. He was dressed in a charcoal gray tweed suit with a white work shirt, maroon scarf and matching waistcoat with a clearly visible pocket watch chain.

 

Lucas's face lit up when he saw Henry. "Whoa Doc! Look at you! I didn't know you had it in you, but you are really rocking that goth vampire look."

 

"Thank you Lucas. I should have known you'd be the one person here who would really appreciate this costume," Henry answered with a smug expression. "As for your outfit, well I'm not sure whether I should be flattered or disturbed."

 

"Um yeah, this is awkward," said Lucas rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Honestly I wasn't expecting you to show up, but consider it a tribute." Henry merely raised an eyebrow in response.

 

"Oh come on Henry loosen up," said Jo. "It was meant as a compliment and they say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."

 

"Very well Lucas, but I'd better not catch you wearing this outfit to work," he said with a stern voice but had an amused expression on his face.

 

"No no, of course not. This is your thing," Lucas assured him.

 

Henry helped himself to some refreshments and mingled for a bit, but mostly he just walked around the room thoroughly enjoying all of the shocked looks he was getting. At the end of the night there was a costume judging and he came out with first prize for most unexpected costume which he was pretty sure hadn't even been an actual category until he had showed up. All in all he'd had much more fun than he had expected and wondered what he could dress up as next year to top this year's costume.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was inspired by [these images](http://kythe42s-fanfiction.tumblr.com/post/104848250050/kythe42s-fanfiction-i-have-no-idea-what-this) of Ioan Gruffudd dressed up looking all gothy.


	6. Undercover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jo convinces Henry to do some undercover work by insisting that he's the only man for the job.
> 
> \------
> 
> "Apparently you're just the suspect's type and no one else in the precinct can do a convincing British accent," Jo explained.
> 
> "Very well," Henry said with a sigh and closed his eyes for a moment knowing he was probably going to regret this. "Tell me what I need to do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I’m merely borrowing them for my own amusement.
> 
> Warnings: Adult Themes.
> 
> Spoilers: Minor spoilers for Season 1 episodes 4 and 11.
> 
> Author's Notes: This is a series of unrelated one shots and drabbles that I will continue to add to as I think of ideas.
> 
> This story may traumatize you, please proceed at your own risk.

Lucas looked up from the file he was reading as he saw a beautiful woman enter the morgue. Just that fact alone stunned him, but he couldn't believe what she was wearing. The stranger was wearing a knee length black sleeveless evening gown with matching high heels that really brought out her wavy shoulder-length raven hair. She had on dark red lipstick and smoky eye shadow that while noticeable, was tastefully done. In her heels she was nearly as tall as he was. She was carrying a large plastic bag, but he couldn't tell what was inside it. He stared for a moment, but then pulled himself together as the woman started to head for Henry's office. He did not want another debacle like what happened with the Gloria Carlyle case. He quickly walked over and stood in her path. "I'm sorry Ma'am, but you can't be in here. Authorized personnel only."

 

"Lucas," said Henry in a sharp tone, "while I appreciate your vigilance, please be so kind as to let me pass."

 

Lucas blinked at the familiar voice and then as he squinted at the woman's face he realized that she looked familiar under all that makeup. It couldn't be, could it? He opened his mouth and closed it a couple of times and then shook his head. "Doctor Morgan?" he said in a shaky voice.

 

Henry sighed. "Yes Lucas it's me," he said and removed his wig. "Go ahead and laugh. Everyone upstairs already has."

 

Lucas was far too stunned to even consider laughing, but he could feel the corner of his mouth pulling itself up into a smirk quite against his will. "Wow, this actually makes your skinny dipping exploits look tame by comparison." He had almost continued by saying that Henry looked hot as a woman, but stopped himself just in time realizing that his boss probably wouldn't appreciate the compliment.

 

Henry gave Lucas a harsh withering look. "It was not my choice to dress up this way. Detective Martinez needed me to do some undercover work. I was quite reluctant, but she insisted that under the circumstances no one else in the precinct could do it." He shook his head thinking back on events wondering if that was really true or if indeed undercover work had even been absolutely necessary at all for the case in question.

 

\------

 

Henry looked up as there was a knock on his office door and saw Jo standing in the doorway. "Come in Detective." Jo entered his office and closed the door behind her and took a seat in one of the empty chairs in front of his desk. "Is there something I can help you with?"

 

"Um yeah, I need to ask you a really big favor," Jo said biting her lip nervously.

 

"What is it?" Henry asked with a raised eyebrow as he detected a hint of amusement in Jo's voice despite the serious expression on her face.

 

"Well I know it falls really far outside of your job description, but I was wondering if you'd be willing to do some undercover work?"

 

"What sort of undercover work?" he asked narrowing his eyes.

 

"Well it would involve you dressing up in drag," Jo answered finding it harder and harder to keep a straight face.

 

Henry stared at Jo for a few moments before answering. "If this is a joke, you might have saved it for April Fool's Day."

 

"I swear it's not a joke," Jo said biting her lip again this time to keep herself from laughing.

 

"The look on your face would suggest otherwise."

 

"I promise this is serious, but I just can't stop picturing you in a dress," she said letting a small snicker escape.

 

"Look if this is in fact a real police matter and you find yourself unable to handle it in a mature manner, then I'm not sure why I should take it seriously," Henry said with a disapproving look.

 

"Ok ok, I'm sorry. I wouldn't even have asked you, but it seems that you're the only person that could do it effectively. Apparently you're just the suspect's type and no one else in the precinct can do a convincing British accent," Jo explained.

 

"Very well," Henry said with a sigh and closed his eyes for a moment knowing he was probably going to regret this. "Tell me what I need to do."

 

\------

 

"Wow," said Jo once the whole thing was over and they were back at the precinct. "You were quite the natural back at that club. You'd never know that it was your first time flirting with a man."

 

"What makes you think it was my first time?" Henry said with a sly grin. "Though granted I've never done it while wearing a dress, but I have flirted with men before. Walking in high heels and speaking in a falsetto voice was a much bigger challenge than the actual flirtation."

 

Jo opened and shut her mouth and stared at Henry in stunned silence not knowing quite how to respond to that. It had never even once crossed her mind that Henry might go both ways. Before she could think of anything to say the rest of the squad room caught sight of Henry and air was filled with the sound of laughter, cheering, and wolf whistles.

 

Henry cringed but smiled and waved at everyone good-naturedly. "Well if you'll excuse me, I'd really like to go get changed now."

 

\------

 

"Well the undercover costume people certainly did a great job," said Lucas finding his gaze drifting down toward Henry's ample albeit fake chest.

 

"My face is up here Lucas," said Henry sharply.

 

"Right sorry," Lucas mumbled awkwardly.

 

Henry just shook his head and stepped around Lucas and went into his office to change back into his normal clothing. As he was washing the makeup off he vowed that he would never do anything like this again, but found himself smirking as he recalled the stunned looks on Jo's and Lucas's faces and thought that maybe just this once it had been worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sincerely apologize to anyone who read this. I seriously have no idea what's wrong with me. XD
> 
> This kind of goes back to the Nightmare drabble where Abe wrongly guessed that Henry had been made to wear a dress when he had a nightmare involving undercover work, and then I decided that I had to write out that scenario.


	7. It's Only Logical

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry is having trouble coping with the fact that he killed a man even if it was in self-defense and Jo walks in on him doing something rather alarming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I’m merely borrowing them for my own amusement.
> 
> Warnings: Mentions of self-injury and suicide.
> 
> Spoilers: Spoilers for Season 1 episodes 6 and 11.
> 
> Author's Notes: This is a series of unrelated one shots and drabbles that I will continue to add to as I think of ideas.

"Henry?" Jo called out as she descended the stairs to his lab. There was no response and she wondered if he was even down there despite what Abe had said. When she got to the bottom of the stairs she saw him sitting at his desk with the sleeves of his shirt rolled up high. He had something in his right hand that he was holding over his left arm. As she cautiously took a few steps closer her mouth dropped open when she saw that the object in his hand was a scalpel. "No Henry! Please don't!" Jo shouted and ran towards him.

 

Henry dropped the scalpel in surprise and stood up from his desk backing up a few steps with his hands held out in a placating manner. "It's not what you think," he said to her for the second time in his lab in as many weeks.

 

"Really? Because it looked like you were on the verge of cutting yourself with that scalpel," Jo said gently as she took a few more steps towards him.

 

"Well yes," Henry admitted, "but I promise you I wasn't going to kill myself. I was just..." he trailed off unsure how to explain what he was doing in a way that wouldn't get him locked up in a mental hospital like what had happened after he'd tried to prove his immortality to Nora. "Look I promise I won't kill myself," he repeated. "Committing suicide would be pointless."

 

Jo tilted her head to the side slightly and raised an eyebrow. That was certainly an odd way of putting it. She noticed that there were several partially healed cuts going all the way up his left arm and some other marks that looked like burns and she understood what was going on. "I know what you were doing Henry, and this isn't the way to deal with your problems." She reached out and took his hand and squeezed it tightly. "You might not be trying to kill yourself, but you're an ME. Surely you must have seen self-injury cases where the person accidentally took things too far?"

 

Henry nodded grimly. "Yes unfortunately I've seen too many cases like that, but those people weren't doctors. I am a doctor and I know what I'm doing. I know where the line is and not to cross it. There is a sound logical scientific reasoning for what I am doing. The brain has trouble processing more than one type of pain at a time. If I cause myself a moderate amount of physical pain then at least for a little while I won't be able to feel the emotional turmoil. The physical wounds are superficial, they don't matter," he said knowing that any trace of them would disappear anyway after the next time he died.

 

Jo took a moment to process what he had said before responding. "Yes I can see the supposed logic behind what you are saying, but can't you see that this is really no different than drinking or doing drugs to forget your problems? It might help you feel better for a short time, but it doesn't really fix anything. A wise man once told me that you must allow yourself to feel the pain, the guilt, and the shame because the day that killing another person doesn't affect you is when you've got real problems," Jo said and gave Henry's hand another squeeze.

 

Henry let out a shuddering sigh and closed his eyes. "I told you to stop listening to him, he doesn't know what he's talking about. I just can't... it's too much..." he broke off and took another deep shuddering breath and blinked back the tears that were forming in his eyes unbidden.

 

"Henry you don't have to do it alone. Do you have any idea how much it pains me to see you doing this to yourself rather than coming to me especially when I went through the same thing rather recently? I know exactly what you're feeling, you are not alone in this."

 

"I'm sorry Jo. I never meant for you to see me like this," Henry apologized sincerely.

 

"That's not the point and you know it. Can you imagine how hurt Abe would be if he knew what you were doing down here? He already knows that something's not right with you which was why he called me over."

 

Henry's eyes widened in panic. "You're not going to tell him are you?"

 

Jo sighed. "I will if I have to Henry, but I promise I won't say anything to him so long as you put a stop to this today. If I catch you doing it again though I will tell Abe and tell Reece to extend your forced leave. You were put on leave so you could recover from what happened, but what you're doing is not the road to recovery."

 

Henry nodded. "Alright, no more, but I just don't know what to do with myself."

 

"You could start by letting yourself feel the pain and cry," said Jo gently. "There is no shame in it."

 

Henry looked sadly into Jo's eyes. "Did you cry after you killed Mark Bentley?"

 

Jo nodded. "Yes when I was at home by myself. Under other circumstances, I'd leave you to cry in privacy, but given what I interrupted you trying to do, I don't think you should be alone right now. I don't necessarily expect you to start sobbing uncontrollably and bear your soul to me, but maybe you could start out with a hug. Do you think you could handle that?" Henry said nothing but nodded slowly so she tentatively put her arms around him. He stiffened at first but eventually returned her embrace. After a few moments he started hugging her more tightly and she mirrored him tightening her arms around him as well. Then he started shaking and even though she couldn't see his face she knew he'd begun to cry silently. "It's ok, I'm here. Just let it all out," she said gently rubbing his back. As his sobs became slightly more audible she felt tears coming to her own eyes. "We did what we had to do Henry, in the defense of ourselves and others. It was not murder."

 

"I know I know," Henry murmured sniffling. "So why does it hurt so much?"

 

Jo pulled back from the embrace just enough so she could look Henry in the eye. "Because you're not a killer. You're a good and honorable man and you see any loss of life as tragic."

 

Henry wiped the tears from his face. "Thank you Jo. I know you've said it before, but I suppose I needed to hear it again."

 

Jo nodded and smiled at him. "I'll say it as many times as you need me to Henry. You know I'm here for you, but maybe it would help to go back to therapy as well? I know the therapist you previously saw has left town, but the department could set you up with someone else."

 

Henry sighed. He wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to trust another therapist again after finding out that his therapist was Adam. "I'll think about it, but you're already doing a much better job than Dr. Farber."

 

Jo hugged Henry again. "Sometimes you just need a good friend who knows what you're going through."

 

"Indeed. Perhaps you'd like to join me upstairs for a cup of tea or coffee?"

 

Jo smiled. "Yes I'd like that."

 

When Henry and Jo emerged from the basement lab, Abe could tell that the dark cloud over his father's head was finally starting to lift and he seemed to be in a better mood than he'd been in all week. He knew it would still take time, but he was confident that with Jo's help, Henry would be able to start to heal and put the trauma behind him.


	8. Murphy's Law

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry dies while Abe is out of town and he is forced to call upon Jo for help.
> 
> \------
> 
> "How do you accidentally go skinny dipping?" Jo asked shaking her head in disbelief.
> 
> "I promise I'll explain everything after you get me home," he assured her. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to need a drink for this conversation."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I’m merely borrowing them for my own amusement.
> 
> Spoilers: Takes place after Season 1 Episode 12 and contains spoilers for episodes 8, 11, and 12.
> 
> Author's Notes: This is a series of unrelated one shots and drabbles that I will continue to add to as I think of ideas. This story was inspired by [jo-martinez](http://jo-martinez.tumblr.com/).

"Are you sure you're going to be ok while I'm gone?" Abe asked worriedly for the tenth time as Henry was helping him pack his luggage into the trunk of his car. "I mean I don't have to go to this convention. I'm sure I can read up on the latest restoration techniques online."

 

Henry sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yes Abe I'll be fine here on my own for a few days. I promise to be extra careful and stay out of trouble. Really the freezing temperatures of the East River this time of year is more than enough motivation to avoid death even if you weren't leaving town. I'll miss you, but I'll be fine. Go on and have a good time." He pulled Abe into a tight hug.

 

"Alright, if you're absolutely sure," Abe said doubtfully as he hugged his father back.

 

Henry laughed. "Yes I'm quite sure," he said as he kissed Abe on the forehead and patted him on the back. Abe reluctantly got into the car and Henry waved to him as he drove off.

 

Things at work that day were largely uneventful. There was one homicide committed in the act of a robbery on top of all the accidental deaths that had come in and when he went to investigate with Jo he actually listened to her when she told him not to wander off much to her surprise. After he got home that evening he relaxed for awhile before he made himself dinner. It turned out that he was missing a few ingredients he needed for the dinner he planned to make, so he bundled up, and headed out once more in the freezing weather to make a quick stop at the nearby grocery store. Just after he stepped off the curb to cross the street, he felt his foot slip on a patch of black ice. There was nothing to grab onto to steady himself and he went down hard cracking the back of his skull against the edge of the curb. He just barely had time to register the pain before everything faded to black.

 

As Henry broke through the surface of the East River his first thoughts were that the universe must really have it out for him. He'd tried so hard not to be reckless and stayed put when Jo told him to only to die in a freak accident. The freezing temperature of the water bit into him like millions of tiny needles and his teeth started chattering right away. He swam for shore as fast as he could with his muscles cramping up from the cold. After he made it up onto the bank of the river he stumbled through the snow on the ground towards a specific bush. He crouched down on the ground and reached into the bush searching until he found what he was looking for, a small canvas pouch that contained a burner cell phone which he'd hidden there after his last death. Unfortunately the larger bag that he'd stashed there containing a towel and a warm change of clothing was gone, probably found by a homeless person.

 

He huddled up on the ground next to the bush and stared at the phone trying to figure out who he should call. For a brief moment he considered calling Lieutenant Reece for help since she was the only one that he had given the explanation that he was a sleepwalker to, but he quickly dismissed that idea afraid of any disciplinary measures that might result. His next thought was to call Lucas since he actually seemed to admire his skinny dipping exploits, but he wasn't sure he could bear the smug looks and good natured teasing from his assistant. There was no way he was calling Detective Hanson, so that only left Jo. After his last couple of arrests for skinny dipping and indecent exposure she had been more concerned about him than anything else and had kept her gentle teasing to a minimum. She also hadn't reported his reckless behavior when he'd stepped in front of those oncoming cars, so he knew he could trust her to keep this just between the two of them. He dialed Jo's number as quickly as he could with his shaking hands.

 

"This is Detective Martinez," Jo said as she answered the phone.

 

"Jo, it's Henry. Are you busy? I need your help with something," he said through his chattering teeth.

 

"Hey Henry, um yeah I actually am in the middle of something. Can I call you back in half an hour?"

 

"No Detective, it's urgent. I can already feel hypothermia starting to set in."

 

"Huh? What happened, where are you?" Jo asked her tone changing to one of worry and panic.

 

"I ah well... I ended up in the East River again. I'm currently on the shore huddled up next to some shrubbery."

 

Jo paused and took a deep breath before answering. "Naked?"

 

"Yes I'm afraid so. Normally I'd call Abe, but he's out of town right now."

 

"What the hell Henry? Why would you go do that in this weather?" Jo all but shouted into the phone.

 

"I assure you that I didn't do it on purpose. I promise I will explain everything, but I'd really appreciate it if you would come to my aid with some dry clothing before I freeze to death."

 

Jo sighed and rolled her eyes starting to wonder if she regretted saying that she chose insanity. "Ok hold on Henry, I'll be there as soon as I can," she said and hung up.

 

Henry placed the phone back in the pouch and hid it in the bush once more. He then sat in an essentially fetal position wrapping his arms around his bent legs trying to conserve as much warmth as possible. He could already feel the water clinging to his hair and skin starting to freeze up and he was shivering violently. After a few more minutes he could feel his extremities starting to go numb. He tried to rub his hands and feet to get some feeling back into them but it didn't help much. A few more minutes passed and he found the cold was making it harder and harder to stay awake. He tried slapping himself across the face a few times to try to keep alert, but he found himself dozing off despite his efforts. He wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep but he jolted awake when he heard Jo calling his name. He looked around and he didn't see her so he called out to her as loudly as he could in his weakened state. She appeared a few moments later and ran towards him and dropped a large bag of clothing at his feet.

 

"What have you gotten yourself into Henry," said Jo shaking her head and frowning as she took in his hunched up form covered in frozen beads of water with his lips starting to turn blue. Henry didn't say anything but reached for the bag and started pulling out the towel, police sweats, and sneakers that she had brought. She turned around to give him a bit of privacy as he got dressed. After a few minutes she heard a thump and a groan. "Henry are you ok?"

 

"I believe I could use a bit of assistance," he answered weakly.

 

Jo turned around and saw Henry fully dressed with the towel wrapped around his neck like a scarf, but sprawled out on his side and she knelt down next to him. "You're really not in good shape. I think I should call an ambulance."

 

Henry shook his head. "It's not as bad as it looks. I just can't feel my feet right now which makes standing up a bit difficult. I'll be alright once I get warmed up and thawed out."

 

Jo narrowed her eyes doubtfully at him, but helped him to his feet and he leaned heavily on her as they made their way back to her car. After they got into the car she pulled a blanket from the back seat and draped it over Henry and he smiled gratefully at her. She turned on the engine and cranked up the heat. "There's some hot coffee for you there," she said pointing to the cup holder.

 

Henry took the cup and slowly sipped the hot beverage closing his eyes as the soothing warmth spread through him. "Thank you Jo. You have no idea how much I appreciate you rescuing me like this."

 

Jo smiled. "Well you're my partner. I couldn't very well let you freeze to death. As difficult as you can be to work with sometimes, Dr. Washington was completely insufferable. Lucas and I both really missed you while you were on leave."

 

Henry smiled back. "It's always nice to know that one is appreciated. I missed you too Jo and yes I believe I even missed Lucas as well," he said with a slight chuckle. He sniffled and dabbed at his nose with a corner of the towel as the temperature change from the freezing cold air outside to the warm air inside the car started to make his nose run.

 

"There should be some tissues or napkins in the glove compartment," Jo said. "I hope you're not going to come down sick from this little adventure."

 

"No, it's just a response to the temperature change and my nose thawing out," Henry said as he rummaged through the glove compartment and pulled out a small packet of tissues. He pulled one out and gently blew his nose. "It should pass soon. If my exposure to the frigid waters was going to cause me to become ill, it would still be too soon for the symptoms to present themselves."

 

Jo nodded and pulled out onto the road driving towards the antique shop. "We are going to have to have a serious talk about this once I get you home."

 

"Yes I know," Henry said then sniffled again and wiped his nose with the tissue. "Lieutenant Reece does know the reason for the skinny dipping incidents, but you deserve to know too especially after helping me out like this." He sighed and took another sip of his coffee feeling a large wave of guilt descend over him knowing that he was going to feed Jo the same lies that he'd told the Lieutenant. She deserved better than that from him especially since she was likely going to witness his death one day if he couldn't learn to reign in his reckless heroics. He was still scared of ending back up in a psychiatric hospital though and he wasn't ready yet to risk that by telling her the real truth.

 

"Well I'm glad you talked to her at least, though I don't imagine she gave you much choice," said Jo with a slight smirk.

 

"No indeed she did not." Henry found himself fighting to keep his eyes open. Coming back from a death was always so much more exhausting during the winter. Just as he was about to doze off he gasped in pain as his extremities started to thaw out.

 

"Henry, are you ok? What's wrong," Jo asked with concern showing on her face.

 

"Detective have you ever experienced a burning sensation in your extremities after coming inside after being out in cold weather for a long time?" Henry asked through gritted teeth.

 

"Yes of course I have."

 

"Well imagine that multiplied a few times."

 

Jo winced in sympathy. "Well at least it's a good sign that you're starting to get feeling back in your feet right?"

 

Henry nodded and let out a low hiss as another wave of pain washed over him. "Yes, but I'd much prefer to be unconscious for it. Unfortunately I will just need to ride it out. Hopefully I should be able to walk unaided by the time we reach the antiques shop."

 

Jo frowned. "Maybe this could be considered a good motivator not to go swimming in the river."

 

"I told you that I didn't do it on purpose," Henry responded with a weary sigh. "With the exception the time I wanted to go diving for that gun, it has never been on purpose."

 

"How do you accidentally go skinny dipping?" Jo asked shaking her head in disbelief.

 

"I promise I'll explain everything after you get me home," he assured her. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to need a drink for this conversation." By the time they reached the shop the pain from thawing out had indeed passed, though there was still a bit of residual tingling, and Henry was able to walk on his own but with a slight limp. As he tried the door and found it locked he remembered that Abe wasn't here and he didn't have his keys. "Um there might be a slight problem Detective." Jo shook her head and pulled out her keys and unlocked the door. Henry stared at her in disbelief. "How did you... where did you get a key to the store?"

 

Jo couldn't help giggling a bit. "I knew Abe was going out of town. He came to me yesterday and gave me a spare key out of paranoia that something bad would happen. It seems his paranoia was well founded. Though if he hadn't given me a key I would have just picked the lock."

 

Henry let out a small groan. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell him about this. I'm afraid he'll try to hire a sitter for me the next time he goes out of town."

 

"That might not be a bad idea," she said laughing. "Do you want the key back?"

 

Henry shook his head and smiled. "No you'd best keep it just in case." Jo nodded and put her keys back in her pocket and they went inside. Henry locked up the shop again and they went upstairs. "If you don't mind, I'd like to take a quick shower and change before we have that talk."

 

Jo nodded. "Yeah that's fine. Who knows what sort of stuff is floating around in that river, and it will help warm you up."

 

"Thank you for understanding," Henry said with a warm smile. "Please make yourself at home and feel free to help yourself to anything in the kitchen if you're hungry."

 

Jo poked around the kitchen while she waited, more because she was curious than because she was hungry. It seemed like half the food there she couldn't even recognize and the stuff that she did recognize was all fancy stuff, like the tray of assorted foreign cheeses she found in the fridge. She sampled some of the cheeses and found that while she liked some, there were other varieties which made her want to gag. She grabbed a handful of grapes from the fruit bin to get the taste out of her mouth. Jo sat down on the living room couch and checked her email and Facebook on her phone while continuing to wait for Henry. He returned ten minutes later dressed in a warm black sweater with matching trousers and a thick dark blue scarf wrapped around his neck. He also had a maroon afghan draped over his shoulders. "Still cold?"

 

Henry nodded. "Yes a bit. I could have done with a longer shower, but I didn't want to keep you waiting any longer than necessary. I'm going to make myself a cup of tea. Would you like some?"

 

"Um sure. Though when you said you were going to need a drink for this conversation I thought you meant alcohol."

 

"I did at the time, but I think tea is the better option under the circumstances. It will help to warm me up and help calm me as well," he explained. "I could get you a glass of wine if you'd prefer?"

 

Jo shook her head. "No no, tea is fine. I do have to drive home and I want to be as clearheaded as possible when you explain this whole skinny dipping thing to me."

 

"Alright give me a few moments and I'll prepare the tea," he said and stepped into the kitchen.

 

As Henry made the tea Jo sat there with her mind wandering all over the place speculating on what reason there could possibly be for Henry repeatedly skinny dipping if it wasn't something he was choosing to do. If it weren't for the fact that Clark Walker was now dead, she would have thought it was something to do with his stalker. It certainly wasn't because he was drunk. He'd been a half frozen naked mess when she'd found him, but he was completely sober. Henry returned with two mugs of tea. He handed one to her and sat down next to her on the couch. They sipped their drinks in silence for a few moments before she spoke up. "Ok you said you weren't going for naked swims on purpose, so what exactly is going on with you Henry? Do you suffer from blackouts or something?" she asked gently.

 

Henry took a long sip of his tea before answering. "No not exactly. The explanation is rather simple, but I imagine you will have a lot of questions." He took a deep breath before continuing as he prepared with a heavy heart to lie to Jo. "You see I suffer from somnambulism. I sleepwalk and for whatever reason I often don't wake up until I've ended up in the river or whatever large body of water happens to be close by. It's a rather inconvenient and embarrassing condition."

 

Jo opened and shut her mouth, then sipped at her drink as she took a moment to process what he had said. "Ok you sleepwalk, a bit early in the day for it though isn't it?"

 

Henry shrugged. "Perhaps by some people's standards, but my work hours are often erratic as are yours, and I often try to catch a quick nap whenever I'm able to, so I've had episodes of sleepwalking at all hours of the day. Today I decided to take a nap before dinner. I'm sure you've taken naps in the middle of the day before."

 

"Ok yes I have, you've got a point there," Jo admitted, "but why do you always end up naked when you sleepwalk?"

 

"I haven't the faintest idea. For whatever reason I have a bit of a tendency to remove my sleepwear when a sleepwalking episode starts. Though I will admit that I told the Lieutenant that I sleep naked just to see the look on her face," he said with a wry grin.

 

Jo nearly choked on her tea laughing. "Oh I wish I had been in the room to see that!"

 

"I'm afraid I've gotten into the habit of making remarks like that as a bit of a defense mechanism," Henry admitted.

 

"Like when you told me your collection of torture devices was for sex?" said Jo teasingly.

 

"Yes that's a good example. I'm afraid I've never been quite that adventurous, but you know I'm always open to new experiences," he said with a wink.

 

Jo shook her head and smiled. "And there you are doing it again." Her smile turned into a frown though as she thought of the implications of what he had told her. "I'm really worried about you Henry. This is serious and I don't just mean because of the repeated public nudity charges. You could get yourself seriously hurt or killed with a medical condition like this. I think you should see a sleep specialist."

 

"What makes you think I haven't been to see one?" he said elaborating on his lie. "I've suffered from this condition for many years and I've had numerous sleep studies done. Ironically I've never had a sleepwalking episode during one. I've also tried various medications to try to help prevent it, but none have worked."

 

"You know I think I'm starting to agree with Reece that you should be in therapy. I'm not saying I think you're crazy, but these things can be brought on by stress and trauma and you've certainly had plenty of both. You never did tell me the whole story about the scar on your chest, but would I be correct in guessing that the sleepwalking and naked swims started sometime after you were shot?"

 

Henry sighed and nodded draining the rest of his tea. "Yes it started right after that happened," he admitted truthfully.

 

Jo smiled sadly at him. "I really think you should give therapy another try. If for some reason you're not comfortable with Dr. Farber, you can always see someone else. I heard he was out of town anyway and other therapists were covering his patients."

 

Henry took a deep shuddering breath. As horrific as it had been that Dr. Farber had turned out to be Adam and he was sure that nothing he would experience with another therapist would ever be that bad by today's standards, he still really hated the thought of giving therapy another chance. "I promise I'll think about it," he said mostly to appease Jo.

 

"You know you can always talk to me as well if you're stressed out," Jo said giving his arm a gentle squeeze. "Maybe if you vent a little it could help prevent these episodes from happening."

 

"I do appreciate that Jo really," he answered with a weak smile. "However I wasn't feeling particularly stressed before it happened today. Sometimes it just happens regardless of my stress levels." Though cracking his head open on the sidewalk curb had been rather traumatic he mused.

 

"Henry, I think you've kept a lot of stuff bottled up for so long that you're always under at least a low level of stress, but you've grown so used to it that you don't even notice anymore. Do you ever truly relax?"

 

Henry shook his head sadly. "No, I suppose not. Not in a long time. Do you?"

 

"No I guess I don't really either," she said with a sigh. She thought for a minute and then had an idea. "What if I came to therapy with you? At least for a few sessions?"

 

"You'd do that for me?" he asked raising his eyebrows in surprise. Perhaps just having her in the room, knowing he had her support, would be enough to give him the courage to try again.

 

Jo laughed. "Compared to what I did for you today, I don't really think it's that big of a favor. Besides I could probably use a few sessions myself and I think I've been just as reluctant to see a therapist as you are, though possibly for different reasons."

 

Henry frowned. He wasn't sure if she really meant what she said, or if she was just trying to trick him into going by making him think he was doing her a favor. Though if there was a chance that it really would be helping her as much as him, then could he really say no? "I think I'd like that, but I'd still like to give it some thought."

 

"Of course, that's fine." She looked at her watch and saw how late it was getting. She was starting to get hungry despite the snack she'd had and she really needed to go home and eat. "Well I should probably get going. Are you going to be alright here by yourself? I could come back with an overnight bag and spend the night."

 

Henry narrowed his eyes at Jo. "You're just saying that because you want me to make you dinner," he teased. "Though after today I probably do owe you a dinner."

 

Jo laughed. "Yes you do. Seriously though, maybe it would be best if you had someone stay with you until Abe gets back."

 

Henry shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Jo I really appreciate the offer, but I'm sure I'll be fine. However if it would put your mind at ease and you really want to sleep here for the next three nights, I certainly won't stop you."

 

Jo rolled her eyes right back at him knowing that it was just his way of accepting her help while trying to save face. "Ok I'm going to go home and pack a bag, and when I get back I expect at least a three course meal to be waiting for me," she said jokingly.

 

"Of course, as the Lady wishes," he said with a grin and an overly formal bow. Jo just shook her head and laughed. After she left Henry started to prepare dinner. He knew she wasn't really expecting anything fancy, but he really wanted to repay her for helping him out today. He still didn't have the ingredients he needed for the meal he had originally planned to make, but he would just have to make do with what was in the kitchen. He'd learned his lesson and there was no way he was going back out in the frigid weather again tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Murphy's Law states that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.


	9. Food Envy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jo decides she likes Henry's food better than takeout.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I’m merely borrowing them for my own amusement.
> 
> Spoilers: Minor spoilers for Season 1 Episode 8.
> 
> Author's Notes: This is a series of unrelated one shots and drabbles that I will continue to add to as I think of ideas.

Henry slapped Jo's hand away as she reached over to take a piece of food off of his plate and grumbled that he needed to start locking his office door when he ate lunch. "Come on Henry, I just want a small taste. The food you bring for lunch is so much better than the takeout I always end up getting."

 

Henry glared at Jo. "That is what you said the previous three days and you ended up eating half my meal. Perhaps this is your way of telling me that I need to go on a diet?"

 

Jo blinked and then her mind flashed back to when she had seen Henry shirtless after rescuing him from Cliff Wadlow and couldn't help grinning at the image in her head. No he definitely didn't need to go on a diet. "No no, you're fine."

 

"Well if you are this dissatisfied with your takeout lunches, perhaps you should set aside extra time in the morning to prepare something homemade, because I'd really appreciate it if you'd stop trying to pilfer my meals," Henry responded giving her an annoyed look. Jo only responded by pouting at him and he sighed at her in return. "Though if you'd like, starting tomorrow I can prepare an extra portion for you. It would certainly be healthier for you than what you're eating at any rate."

 

Jo grinned. "Thanks Henry, you're the best!" she said giving him a quick hug. She then snatched one of the scones off of his plate and dashed out of his office before he could stop her.

 

Henry just shook his head and chuckled at her antics. Oh the things he did for this woman. Well if getting her to eat a healthier lunch would help prevent her from dying early from a coronary like her husband, then he'd consider the extra time spent on food preparation well worth it.


	10. Sleeping Beauty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry and Jo, fairytale AU!
> 
> Sir Henry attempts to wake Princess Jo from a curse and does not get the sort of reaction he expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I’m merely borrowing them for my own amusement.
> 
> Author's Notes: This is a series of unrelated one shots and drabbles that I will continue to add to as I think of ideas. This is an AU Mini-Fic prompt from [idelthoughts](http://archiveofourown.org/users/idelthoughts/pseuds/idelthoughts).

Sir Henry leaned over the sleeping woman. He took a moment to take in Princess Jo's extraordinary beauty before bringing his lips to meet her own in the most tender of kisses.

 

Jo's eyes shot open as she was awoken by the kiss and she stared up at the handsome knight hovering over her and glared at him. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" she shouted as she sat up and slapped the knight across the face.

 

Henry staggered back a few steps and rubbed his smarting cheek. "I do apologize my lady, but they told me that..."

 

"That I'm the sort of princess that will kiss any knight that comes along?" Jo snapped cutting him off. "I swear if I find out which servant started this gossip I'll have them executed!"

 

"Please forgive me Princess. I was under the impression that I was breaking a curse. I promise it won't happen again," he said giving Jo a formal bow.

 

"Damn straight it won't," Jo answered in a huff. "You might be able to earn my forgiveness if you do well in the next tournament."

 

"As my lady wishes," Henry replied giving another bow as he exited the princess's bedchamber. He couldn't help grinning to himself as he made his way down the castle stairs. He had never known a lady of royal breeding to use such language, but he rather thought he liked it.


	11. Experiments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU where Henry, Jo, Lucas, and Mike are siblings and Abe's the father.
> 
> Abe comes home to find some alcohol missing from the liquor cabinet and is not at all amused when he learns what happened to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I’m merely borrowing them for my own amusement.
> 
> Author's Notes: This is a series of unrelated one shots and drabbles that I will continue to add to as I think of ideas. This is an AU Mini-Fic prompt from [okayhannah](http://archiveofourown.org/users/okayhannah/pseuds/okayhannah). For the purposes of this fic, Henry, Jo, Lucas, and Mike are all teenagers.

Abe came home after a long day of work and wanted nothing more than to relax and read the newspaper while drinking a nice glass of his favorite Bordeaux. He went to the liquor cabinet, and as he pulled out the bottle he was seeking, he noticed that it was emptier than he remembered it. In fact several of the bottles seemed to contain less liquid than he remembered. He felt the anger rising up in him knowing that one or more of his children had been sneaking drinks.

 

"Kids get in here, all of you!" Abe yelled trying his best to keep his temper under control. First Mike arrived bounding down the stairs followed shortly by Jo. Henry and Lucas came upstairs from the basement a few minutes later. All of his children stood gathered around him all looking equally bewildered as to why they had been summoned. "Ok I'm going to make this short and sweet. The reason I called you all in here is because there is alcohol missing from several bottles in the liquor cabinet and I want to know which of you is responsible."

 

"I was down in the basement working on my latest experiment, and Lucas was assisting me," Henry stated matter-of-factly.

 

"Um yeah I was with Henry," Lucas mumbled trying, but failing, to hide his nervousness.

 

Abe nodded and looked expectantly at Mike and Jo.

 

"Hey don't look at me!" Mike protested. "I just got home from football practice ten minutes ago."

 

"And I got home from drama club around the same time as Mike," Jo chimed in. Both she and Mike glared at their nerdy brothers knowing that one of them must have had something to do with the disappearance of the alcohol.

 

Abe sighed and turned his attention back to Henry and Lucas. Henry was still standing there calm as can be, but Lucas on the other hand was shaking like a leaf. "Ok whichever one of you is responsible, I want the truth out of you now," he said sternly.

 

"As I said, I was in the basement working on my latest experiment with Lucas," Henry restated. "The experiment just happened to involve testing the flammability of various types of alcohol. I assure you that neither I nor Lucas actually consumed any of the alcohol."

 

"Testing the flammability..." Abe repeated and trailed off running a hand over his face in exasperation. "Ok Henry, I can't believe I actually have to spell this out for you and make a specific rule out of it, but no more experiments that involve alcohol, or fire, or anything else dangerous. Do I make myself clear?" Henry nodded sullenly. "And because you really should have known better, I'm going to have to punish you for it. No experiments at all for the next month."

 

"But Dad, the science fair is in two weeks!" Henry protested and glared at Jo and Mike who had started to snicker.

 

"Tough. You should have thought of that before you started playing with fire in our basement. Now run along all of you. I want some quiet time before I start making dinner." Abe shook his head after his children all went upstairs to their various bedrooms, hopefully to do homework. "Unbelievable," he muttered and seriously wondered how Henry was going to manage as an adult without getting himself thrown in jail, killed, or both.


	12. Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry/Jo college AU.
> 
> Henry is unfamiliar with modern music players and Jo makes it her mission to remedy that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I’m merely borrowing them for my own amusement.
> 
> Author's Notes: This is a series of unrelated one shots and drabbles that I will continue to add to as I think of ideas. This is an AU Mini-Fic prompt from [idelthoughts](http://archiveofourown.org/users/idelthoughts/pseuds/idelthoughts).

Jo was startled awake by the sudden blaring sound of Flight of the Valkyries coming through her dorm room wall. She blearily rubbed her eyes and looked at the clock. She let out a low growl of annoyance when she saw that it was only 8 AM. She didn't have any classes until noon, and she wanted to go back to sleep. There was no way that was going to happen with the loud music playing though. She pulled herself out of bed and threw on her robe and slippers before exiting her room and knocking on the door of the dorm room next to hers. The door opened, and she found herself standing face to face with a smiling Henry. She almost wanted to punch him for looking this cheerful so early, especially when he was the one responsible for her even being awake. She scowled as the music blared even louder through the open door.

 

"Hello Jo. Is there something I can help with you with?" Henry said seemingly oblivious to Jo's foul mood.

 

"Yes, you can turn down the damn music. Some people are still trying to sleep," Jo answered with a piercing glare.

 

"My apologies. I was attempting to study for an exam and I find that the music helps me to better concentrate." Henry stepped back inside his room to turn off the music.

 

"You could just listen with headphones you know," Jo pointed out, but then to her surprise, she saw that it was a record player that Henry was turning off. "Wait does that thing even have a headphone jack? And why do you even have a record player?"

 

"No it does not, and what else am I supposed to listen to my records on?"

 

"You could join the 21st century and listen to digital music on an MP3 player," Jo answered rolling her eyes.

 

"A what?" Henry asked having no clue what she was talking about.

 

"Seriously Henry? You don't know what an MP3 player is?" Henry shook his head, and she sighed with exasperation. "Ok wait here. I'm going to go get dressed, and then I'm dragging you to Best Buy. This is non-negotiable," Jo said firmly before heading back to her room.

 

Henry watched her leave with wide eyes wondering what fresh horrors awaited him at this Best Buy.


	13. Technologically Inept

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Jo/Hanson shows Henry how to use an iPhone, and then he accidentally breaks it.
> 
> Wanting to help Henry learn modern technology Hanson and Jo corner Henry in the the bar and pressure him into learning to use Hanson's iPhone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I’m merely borrowing them for my own amusement.
> 
> Author's Notes: This is a series of unrelated one shots and drabbles that I will continue to add to as I think of ideas. This is a Mini-Fic prompt from [projectssss](http://projectssss.tumblr.com).

"Hey Henry. You look a bit down. Is everything ok?" Hanson asked as he plopped down on the bar stool next to Henry.

 

"I'm fine Detective," Henry answered without looking up and took another sip of his Cognac.

 

"Do you want to talk about it?" Hanson asked completely ignoring Henry's answer.

 

"No thank you," Henry answered in the same bland tone that he had responded to Hanson's first question in.

 

"Well whatever it is, I know something that will take your mind off of things," said Hanson and held his iPhone out to Henry.

 

Henry raised an eyebrow at the proffered phone. There wasn't anything of interest on the screen. "Why exactly are you showing me your phone Detective?"

 

"We're going to teach you how to use it," said Jo who seemingly appeared out of nowhere to slide onto the bar stool on the other side of Henry.

 

"Oh no," said Henry getting the feeling he was being ambushed. "I'm really no good with these devices. I can make a basic call on them if I need to, but I don't see any reason why I should learn any of the other extraneous functions that these smart phones can perform."

 

"Look Doc, technology is going to keep changing and there's nothing any of us can do to stop that," said Hanson setting the iPhone down on the bar in front of Henry. "If you don't start learning how to use it now, you're never going to be able to catch up."

 

"Mike's right Henry. Besides, even if you feel you can do your job and live your life perfectly well without a smart phone, I'm really going to have to insist that you get one for work purposes," said Jo gently placing a hand on Henry's arm. "You have this infuriating tendency to wander off, and I want to make sure I have the ability to get a hold of you if I lose track of you."

 

Henry's expression softened when he realized that Jo and Hanson were only being so persistent out of concern for his wellbeing. "Very well, you may proceed with the first lesson." The next hour consisted of Jo and Hanson teaching him how to text, browse the internet, take pictures, watch videos on YouTube, and a basic crash course on the various social media platforms. Henry wasn't sure how much of this information he would retain, but he could see how some of the phone's various functions could be useful, especially when investigating out in the field. After awhile the detectives left him alone to experiment with the phone by himself, and he found an interesting documentary to watch on YouTube regarding the regenerative properties of starfish.

 

Lucas entered the bar and saw Henry sitting on one of the bar stools hunched over staring intently at something in his hand. Puzzled, he approached his boss to find out what he was doing. "Hey Doc, what are you up to?"

 

Startled, Henry let out a small yelp, and the iPhone dropped from his grasp, clattering hard to the floor. Henry carefully picked up the phone and examined it noting that while it still seemed somewhat functional, the screen was badly cracked.

 

"Oh jeez Henry, I am so sorry," Lucas apologized profusely. "I swear I didn't mean to startle you."

 

"It is Detective Hanson that you will need to apologize to," said Henry glaring slightly at Lucas. "It was his phone that you caused me to damage."

 

Lucas cursed under his breath, and felt himself start to sweat nervously when he saw Hanson walking towards them. "Please promise you won't let him kill me," he begged.

 

"I promise," said Henry with a chuckle knowing that as angry as Hanson might get over this, he wouldn't actually hurt either of them. He held the phone out gingerly to Hanson with an apologetic look on his face.

 

Hanson frowned and then his mouth dropped open when he saw the state his phone was in. "What the hell happened Henry?! I leave you alone for fifteen minutes and you break my iPhone? Unbelievable..."

 

"I'm sorry," Henry apologized. "I told you I was hopeless with these devices."

 

"Um to be fair, he only dropped the phone because I startled him," Lucas admitted sheepishly.

 

Hanson closed his eyes and took a deep breath unsure which one of them he should be the most annoyed with, and quickly came to the conclusion that it was himself for letting Jo convince him that this was a good idea. "You're just lucky that I have accidental damage coverage on this thing," he said and walked out of the bar muttering under his breath.

 

Henry couldn't help smiling to himself thinking that it would be quite some time before anyone attempted to teach him to use a smart phone again.


	14. Spontaneous Dance Lessons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Jo and Henry dancing in the middle of Abe's store.
> 
> Jo and Henry are relaxing after working on case files and Henry decides to give Jo an impromptu dance lesson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I’m merely borrowing them for my own amusement.
> 
> Author's Notes: This is a series of unrelated one shots and drabbles that I will continue to add to as I think of ideas. This is a Mini-Fic prompt from [of-hope-and-second-chances](http://of-hope-and-second-chances.tumblr.com).

Henry was relaxing with Jo in the antiques shop after a long few hours of going over case files. He turned on the radio to the classical station, and poured them each a glass of wine, before sitting back down on the couch next to Jo. They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, just sipping their drinks. Henry perked up when he heard Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty Suite start playing on the radio. It was an old favorite, and he felt himself relaxing more against the back of the couch. Without even realizing it, he began to sway slightly from side to side along with the music.

 

Jo couldn't help but notice the dreamy look that had come over Henry's face. It wasn't often that she got to see her friend so relaxed and at peace. "You really like this song don't you?"

 

"Yes very much so," Henry replied with a nod and a blissful smile.

 

"You almost look like you want to dance to it," Jo commented with a slight smirk.

 

Henry's only response was another smile, albeit a sadder one. It had been such a very long time since he had danced with a woman, not since Abigail really, and he missed it.

 

"Do you want to dance? You know, with me?" Jo asked hesitantly. She really wasn't the best dancer, but it looked like something that would make Henry happy, and she was willing to do it for him.

 

Henry raised his eyebrows in surprise. He really wasn't used to having a woman ask him to dance, but he realized that these days it was much more acceptable than it used to be. "You know," he said giving Jo that charming lopsided smile of his, "I rather think I would." He stood up and held out his hand to Jo.

 

Jo took Henry's hand in hers as she stood up as well. "So what kind of dance do you do to this sort of music?"

 

"A waltz traditionally."

 

"Oh. I'm afraid I don't really know how to waltz," Jo admitted apologetically.

 

Henry gasped and brought a hand up against his chest in mock horror. "That simply won't do at all. I shall have to teach you," he said with a wide grin.

 

"Ok, but fair warning, I've been known to step on my dance partner's feet from time to time." Henry waved off her concerns and began to teach her how to waltz. It wasn't as hard as she thought it would be, and she was actually having a pretty good time dancing with Henry. He really seemed to be enjoying himself as well. Just as she felt she was really starting to get the hang of things, the song was over, and she felt her rhythm falter. The next thing she knew she had stepped down on one of Henry's feet. Henry let out a low grunt of pain and released his hold on her. "Damn I'm sorry Henry. I did warn you though. It was the song ending that threw me off," she apologized.

 

"It's quite alright Jo. It wasn't that bad truly. At least you weren't wearing heels," he said with a chuckle. "For a beginner it may well indeed be easier to stick to the same song. I believe I have a record of it if you'd like to continue the lesson?" Jo smiled warmly and nodded at him, so he turned off the radio, and left the room in search of the record album. When he returned, he started the music on the record player, and resumed dancing with Jo. She had turned out to be a rather quick learner, and he couldn't remember the last time he had had this much fun when it wasn't case related. They continued dancing until well past midnight, and much to Henry's relief, Jo managed not to step on his feet again.


	15. Tied to Memories Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Henry catches Jo crying, and tries to comfort her.
> 
> \------
> 
> A new case brings up some painful emotions for Jo, and Henry does his best to comfort her and let her know that she's not alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I’m merely borrowing them for my own amusement.
> 
> Author's Notes: This is a series of unrelated one shots and drabbles that I will continue to add to as I think of ideas. This is a Mini-Fic prompt from someone that would like to remain anonymous.

"Hey Henry, what do we have here this morning?" Jo asked as she entered the morgue.

 

"There was a body that was brought in late last night. The initial notes from the EMTs state that this death is likely accidental. I will of course have to conduct a full examination, but I can tell you right now that this man's death was no accident." Jo nodded at him as she approached the autopsy table. Henry started to launch into an explanation of how he knew that this man was murdered, but he stopped short when he saw that Jo had gone white as a sheet. "Is something wrong Detective?"

 

"Yeah sorry. I'm suddenly not feeling so well. I think I just need to sit down for a few minutes," she mumbled and hurried back to Henry's office.

 

Henry shot Lucas a brief confused look, and the look on Lucas's face was even more bewildered. Henry shrugged, and then figuring that he should probably go check on Jo if she was ill, removed his surgical gloves and went to his office. He could see through the glass door that Jo sitting in one of the chairs in front of his desk. She was hunched over with her head in her hands and shaking ever so slightly. He opened the door and entered the office loudly enough so she'd know he was there. "Jo what's wrong?" he asked softly as he knelt down in front of her.

 

"It's nothing. I just felt lightheaded all of a sudden. I really need to stop skipping breakfast," Jo answered shakily, still not lifting her face from her hands.

 

Henry gently pulled Jo's hands away from her face and felt her forehead checking for a fever. Her skin was cool to the touch and he tilted his head to the side studying her. He noticed right away that her mascara was smudged and that there was a trail of tears running down her face. "You've been crying," Henry said matter-of-factly. "I think you might be having a bit of an anxiety attack." Jo nodded mutely at him. "I'm here if you want to tell me what's bothering you, but first I want you to try to take some deep breaths. It will help calm you and reduce the lightheadedness."

 

Jo nodded again and tried to do as Henry suggested, but she kept feeling her breath catch on every inhale, and her emotions surged up even stronger than they had before. Not wanting Henry to see her cry, she stood up and turned away from him, then started to sob again silently. Henry got to his feet and gently turned her around to face him before drawing her into his strong embrace. She didn't have the strength to resist, so she threw her arms around him and held on tight as she shook and cried into his shoulder. He rubbed her back as she cried, stroking her with a slow rhythmic motion that she couldn't help but find soothing. She managed to stop crying after a few minutes, and then just stood there with her head still on Henry's shoulder, enjoying the comforting feel of his embrace. "I'm sorry," she murmured eventually. "I feel so stupid right now."

 

"You have nothing to apologize for. Crying is the body's natural way of dealing with strong emotions. It is nothing to be ashamed of," Henry assured her. "I think you'll feel better if you tell me what's upsetting you, but if you'd rather not, I will leave you alone to compose yourself."

 

Jo sighed heavily. "It was that tie..."

 

"Tie?" Henry asked, unsure what she was referring to.

 

"The tie that the victim was wearing," Jo explained. "It's the same one that I bought Sean for his last birthday." Jo clung to Henry even tighter as if he was the only thing preventing her from falling into a dark abyss.

 

"Oh Jo," Henry said and reached up with one hand to stroke her hair.

 

"I just... I shouldn't let little things like this get to me. Why does every little thing have to remind me of him?" she asked wearily.

 

"I believe this is normal, or at least it is for me. You recall all of those times that I 'zone out', to use the modern parlance?"

 

"Yes. You do seem to get lost in your thoughts a lot."

 

"Well half of the time when that happens, it is because something reminded me of Abigail," Henry explained. "I wish I could tell you that there will come a time when small everyday things won't remind you of your husband, but Abigail has been gone for several years, and it still happens to me. I can tell you that it will get less painful over time, but unfortunately I can't tell you how much time it will take."

 

"Thank you for sharing that with me Henry. You have no idea how much it helps to know I'm not alone feeling like this."

 

"Of course I do Jo. I know, I know," Henry answered and hugged Jo tighter for a moment, feeling his own eyes start to tear up with the immense gratitude he felt for having her in his life.


	16. Gullibility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Henry is out for a walk and finds Jo and Abe eating out. He heads over to them to find out what is going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I’m merely borrowing them for my own amusement.
> 
> Author's Notes: This is a series of unrelated one shots and drabbles that I will continue to add to as I think of ideas. This is a Mini-Fic prompt from someone that would like to remain anonymous.

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, and Henry, feeling restless, decided to go for a walk while Abe was out running errands. He wandered aimlessly for about an hour or so before he finally paused in front of a diner. He wasn't sure what made him stop and decide to look in the window, but his eyebrows shot up in surprise when he saw Abe and Jo sitting across from one another in one of the booths. They appeared to be talking and laughing cheerfully over coffee. Then something else happened that really caught his eye. Abe took Jo's hand in his, first squeezing it gently, then caressing it affectionately. What happened next really shocked him. Jo kissed Abe. He wouldn't have thought anything of it if it had just been a kiss on the cheek, but no, she kissed him right on the lips and maintained contact for several seconds, and Abe appeared to be returning her affections.

 

Henry felt frozen to the spot, not being able to quite believe what he was seeing. A whole mix of different emotions was coursing through him, but mainly he was bewildered that Jo would be attracted to a man so much physically older than herself based on what he knew of her, and outrage at his son for participating in whatever was going on between them. A part of him thought that he should just walk away and speak to Abe about this in private later, but he found himself marching into the diner straight up to the booth the two of them were sitting in.

 

"Hey Henry," Abe and Jo said in unison.

 

"Abraham, just what is the meaning of this?" Henry asked, unconsciously slipping into his angry father voice.

 

"What? I ran into Jo when I was doing my errands and we decided to get a cup of coffee and catch up. What's wrong with that?" Abe asked with an innocent tone and expression on his face.

 

Jo narrowed her eyes at Henry. "What's wrong with you? Abe's my friend too. We can get coffee together or grab a bite to eat without you being here."

 

Henry felt himself sagging somewhat. "But I saw... I saw..." Henry stammered. Had he imagined the whole thing? He had been up rather late the previous night, and sometimes lack of sleep can cause the mind to play tricks on you.

 

"Oh," said Jo. "I guess we can't hide it any longer Abe. We should really let Henry in on what's going on."

 

Abe nodded solemnly. "Well you see Henry, the fact is, Jo and I are engaged to be married. We've gotten rather close over the last couple of months and we've fallen in love." Jo nodded her agreement and squeezed Abe's hand as she gazed lovingly at him.

 

"What? Abraham!" Henry practically shouted. "You can't be serious!"

 

"Sure I can. I've just chosen not to," Abe deadpanned.

 

At this point, Jo couldn't keep a straight face anymore, and burst out laughing with Abe soon joining her. "Oh my god Henry! You should've seen the look on your face! I can't believe you'd be that gullible," Jo said mirthfully.

 

Henry opened and closed his mouth a few times in confusion before understanding finally started to set in. "It was just a joke? But I saw the two of you kissing before I even entered the diner."

 

"Oh I saw you coming before you saw us," Jo explained laughing again.

 

"And the pair of you decided to play a prank on me. It's so nice to know that the most important people in my life have the maturity level of seven year olds," Henry replied failing to keep the bitter sarcasm out of his voice.

 

"Oh come on Henry, lighten up. We were just having a bit of fun," Abe said with a slight pout.

 

"Yeah Henry, lighten up," said Jo echoing both Abe's words and his pout.

 

Henry rolled his eyes, sighed, and then smiled in spite of himself. He couldn't stay mad at them for long. "Very well, you are forgiven. Though I hope you'll both refrain from such childish pranks in the future."

 

Abe exchanged a mischievous look with Jo. "No promises."

 

"Why don't you join us? I'll make it up to you and buy you a cup of coffee," Jo offered and patted the seat next to her.

 

Henry made a face when he thought of how awful the cheap diner coffee would taste, but decided that spending time with Jo and his son was worth it. As he slid into the booth beside Jo, he wondered if he could guilt them into treating him to a danish as well.


	17. Motorcycle Appeal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Jo gets called in to a crime scene but arrives on a motorcycle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I’m merely borrowing them for my own amusement.
> 
> Author's Notes: This is a series of unrelated one shots and drabbles that I will continue to add to as I think of ideas. This is a Mini-Fic prompt from someone that would like to remain anonymous.

Another day, another murder. Henry, Lucas, and Hanson were already at the crime scene, but Jo had yet to arrive. They started without her, examining the body and the surrounding crime scene. They all looked up a few minutes later at the roaring sound of a motorcycle approaching. As the motorcycle stopped in front of the crime scene, they could all see that Jo was the rider.

 

"Sorry I'm late guys. My car wouldn't start, so I had to borrow my neighbor's motorcycle," Jo explained.

 

Henry and Hanson gave her brief amused glances, but Lucas's mouth dropped open in amazement. He found he couldn't take his eyes off of her, and everything seemed to go in slow motion as she removed her helmet and shook out her hair. He couldn't believe the timing of it, but a car drove by blaring "Pour Some Sugar On Me" from its radio.

 

"Lucas," Henry said sharply, trying to get his assistant's attention.

 

It was then that Jo noticed Lucas's staring. "What's wrong with you? You're all flushed and shaking. If you're getting sick, maybe you should go home early."

 

"I bet I know what's wrong with him," Hanson said with a smirk, but shut up after receiving a disapproving look from Henry.

 

"Um thanks. Yeah I think I might go do that," Lucas said, not entirely succeeding at keeping his voice calm. He could certainly do with a good lie down, and a cold shower.


	18. Dispute Resolution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Henry notices tension between Jo and Lucas. They happen to have a difference of opinion on (SG1) O'Neill and Carter actually being a couple at the end of the series.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I’m merely borrowing them for my own amusement.
> 
> Author's Notes: This is a series of unrelated one shots and drabbles that I will continue to add to as I think of ideas. This is a Mini-Fic prompt from someone that would like to remain anonymous. This story contains some spoilers for later seasons of Stargate SG1 and Atlantis.

Henry glanced up from the cadaver he was autopsying and saw Jo enter the morgue. "Good morning Detective," he greeted her cheerfully with a smile.  
  
"Morning Henry," Jo answered and smiled back. Then her face turned hard as she turned to look at the other man in the room. "Lucas," she said practically growling his name.  
  
"Detective," Lucas replied glaring slightly at her.  
  
Henry looked back and forth between Jo and Lucas, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion at the barely civil interaction between them. He knew that Jo occasionally lost her patience with Lucas, as did he, but Lucas was usually invariably happy to see Jo. He wanted to ask what had transpired between them, but it was none of his business so long as it didn't affect their work.  
  
Henry began to go over his findings with Jo, but he grew a bit irritated when she seemed to ignore anything that Lucas had to say, and just looked at him expectantly until he confirmed Lucas's statements. For once Lucas was all business with none of his crazy theories or inane banter, which was a refreshing change, albeit somewhat disconcerting, and Henry began to feel somewhat offended on Lucas's behalf. It got to the point where he couldn't take the tension between them any longer and he felt he had to speak up. "All right, what is going on?" he asked after throwing down his scalpel on the tool tray and crossing his arms.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," said Jo, not quite meeting his eyes.  
  
"Nothing's going on," Lucas agreed while staring at his feet.  
  
Henry raised an eyebrow. "Oh please. Do you really think I haven't noticed how strained the interaction is between you two?"  
  
Jo sighed. "Lucas and I just had a bit of a disagreement is all."  
  
"It's nothing really," said Lucas, though the look of disdain on his face betrayed his words.  
  
"Clearly it's not nothing, or the two of you would not be acting any differently towards each other," Henry pointed out. "Now I want this resolved so that things can go back to normal."  
  
"I'm not sure it can be resolved," said Lucas grimly. "It's just something that we're not going to see eye to eye on." Jo nodded her agreement.  
  
"Perhaps I can help if you tell me what the argument is about," Henry firmly suggested.  
  
"We just have a difference of opinion as to whether or not Carter and O'Neill were a couple by the end of the series," Lucas explained, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.  
  
"He thinks that they were a couple, but I don't agree," Jo further clarified.  
  
Henry nodded slowly as bafflement descended upon him. He had no idea what was meant by the end of the series, but he couldn't believe his colleagues would get themselves so worked up over something so trivial. Correction, it didn't surprise him so much from Lucas, but he couldn't believe that Jo would get into an argument, let alone hold a grudge, over this sort of thing. He wasn't sure who Carter and O'Neill were, but he supposed that it didn't really matter. "Let me get this straight, the two of you are all worked up over a bit of gossip?" Both Jo and Lucas started giving him funny looks, and he sensed that he had missed something vital.  
  
"This isn't gossip," said Jo.  
  
"We're talking about Carter and O'Neill from Stargate SG1," Lucas explained.  
  
"Stargate SG1?" Henry asked having no idea what they were talking about. "Is that some sort of new space station that I haven't heard about?"  
  
"The TV show Doc!" Lucas exclaimed in frustration while Jo struggled to suppress a laugh. "Let me guess, you've never heard of it or the movie it was based on?"  
  
Henry sighed wearily. "Why does this still surprise you? It would be helpful if you would operate under the assumption that I have not heard of any movies or TV shows unless I inform you otherwise."  
  
"There was a book too," said Lucas desperately, "or rather a novelization of the movie."  
  
"Lucas..." Henry drew out his assistant's name in a warning tone.  
  
"Fine fine," said Lucas sighing in defeat. "You don't watch TV or movies ever. I got it. I guess you wouldn't understand then."  
  
"You are correct. I do not understand why my colleagues are making such a fuss over fictional characters."  
  
"Because I'm right and she's wrong!" Lucas all but shouted.  
  
"No you're not. There is no way that they were a couple," Jo insisted indignantly.  
  
"But they were in love. Anyone could see that," Lucas argued. "And after O'Neill retired, he was finally free to be with Carter."  
  
"I'm not arguing that," said Jo, "but just because they were in love and free to be together does not mean that they actually became a couple. Do you really think Carter would have taken a job in another galaxy if she was actually in a relationship with O'Neill? Long distance relationships are hard enough on Earth, but an intergalactic one would be all but impossible."  
  
"They could have made it work," Lucas insisted.  
  
"Maybe they could have, but the shows never gave any indication that they actually tried," Jo pointed out.  
  
Henry watched this exchange with some amusement. He wasn't sure he had ever seen the two of them so passionate about any topic before.  
  
"What we need is a fresh third-party objective perspective to settle this once and for all," Lucas suggested.  
  
"That's actually a good idea," Jo replied with a nod. "I'm sure Henry won't let emotion influence him and will come to a logical conclusion."  
  
"Yeah that's perfect," Lucas exclaimed with his face lighting up. "Henry should decide." Even if Henry didn't decide in his favor, he'd still have a blast watching Stargate with his boss.  
  
"What? Oh no..." Henry protested after it registered with him exactly what they were asking of him. "I've neither the time or the desire to get involved with this TV show."  
  
"Come on Doc, please? It'll be fun," Lucas pleaded.  
  
"Look at it this way Henry. If you don't, then this feud might drag on for months," said Jo with a smirk knowing that's the last thing he'd want, but also knowing that it might take them months to get through all of SG1, Atlantis, the original movie, and maybe even Universe for good measure.  
  
Henry sighed and ran a hand over his face knowing that he was probably going to regret this. "Alright, perhaps I can try to set aside a couple of nights a week for this project if it will help the two of you resolve your dispute."  
  
And that was how Henry Morgan got roped into watching the entire Stargate franchise.


	19. Thank You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Jo figures out Henry's sweet tooth, and one day sends him some as a thank you gift.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I’m merely borrowing them for my own amusement.
> 
> Author's Notes: This is a series of unrelated one shots and drabbles that I will continue to add to as I think of ideas. This is a Mini-Fic prompt from someone that would like to remain anonymous.

Henry entered his office and stopped short when he saw a white box lying on his desk. He had grown wary of packages left on his desk because of Adam, and he approached his desk cautiously. He leaned over his desk, and upon closer examination, he saw that the box was the type normally used in bakeries to package various baked goods. There was a card on top of the box which he picked up and opened slowly. He let out a huge sigh of relief after reading the note when he saw that the gift was not in fact from Adam.  
  
     Dear Henry,  
  
     This is to repay you for what you did yesterday. I hope you enjoy them.  
  
     Eternally Grateful,  
  
     Jo  
  
Henry smiled and opened the box. His mouth dropped open in surprised at what was inside. How could Jo have possibly known what his favorite dessert was? He removed one of the scones from the box and took a bite, closing his eyes as he slowly chewed it and savored the taste.  
  
"Do you like my gift?" asked Jo who had suddenly appeared in the doorway.  
  
Henry looked up at Jo and grinned widely at her after he swallowed the food. "It's perfect. But really this wasn't necessary. You didn't have to go to the trouble."  
  
Jo shook her head and smiled. "I know, I just wanted to thank you. I know I lecture you a lot about being reckless, but if you hadn't done what you did, I'd probably be dead right now. So again thank you, and I hope you enjoy the scones."  
  
"I most certainly will. But however did you guess that blueberry scones are my favorite dessert?" he asked her fixing her with a quizzical gaze.  
  
"I didn't guess. Abe told me," Jo replied with a smirk.  
  
Henry laughed. "Ah of course. I should have known. Well thank you very much for the scones. I will certainly enjoy them."  
  
Jo smiled warmly at Henry. "And thank you for saving my life."


	20. Skinny Dipping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Henry's arrests for skinny dipping, Jo is curious about what it's like, so she decides to give it a go herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I’m merely borrowing them for my own amusement.
> 
> Warnings: Temporary Character Death
> 
> Spoilers: Takes place after Season 1 Episode 11.
> 
> Author's Notes: This is a series of unrelated one shots and drabbles that I will continue to add to as I think of ideas. This is a Mini-Fic prompt from someone that would like to remain anonymous.

As Jo was driving home from work, she found herself thinking about Henry's recent arrests for skinny dipping. It seemed so out of character for Henry, and it was not something she would have expected from him at all. She was very curious as to what exactly he got out of it, but he seemed completely unwilling to discuss the subject. She supposed she couldn't blame him for not wanting to talk about it as the incidents must have greatly embarrassed him. She then realized that if she wanted to gain any insight as to what skinny dipping was like and what Henry got out of it, then she'd have to try it herself. It was late and dark, and Jo thought there was a minimal chance of her getting caught, so she drove down to the East River.  
  
Henry couldn't sleep. Images of killing Clark Walker kept running through his mind, so he decided to take a walk to clear his head. He found himself walking along a street that ran parallel to the East River, and took in the sights around him to distract him from his thoughts. He noticed that a car had stopped next to the river and a woman got out. As he caught a glimpse of her profile, he realized it was Jo.   
  
"Hello Detective!" he called out in a friendly greeting, but she didn't appear to hear him, and started making her way down to the end of a pier where she stopped and stared into the water. "Jo? Are you alright?" Henry called out again. When he still received no answer, he started to cross the street to go to her. Then, to his complete and utter surprise, Jo started to remove her clothing. For a second he froze up with his mouth hanging open, but then, ever the gentleman, he quickly averted his gaze. Unfortunately, this action caused him not to see the car that was coming, and before he knew it, he was being thrown forward against the pavement from the impact. He barely even had time to register the pain before it was all over and he was gone.  
  
After Jo finished undressing, she dove into the dark water and resurfaced a few moments later. She swam about twenty feet away from the pier and just tread water for awhile. She bit her lip and frowned. The water was cold and not exactly the cleanest. It really wasn't becoming any clearer to her what was so great about skinny dipping in the river. Maybe he just enjoyed cold swims, or perhaps he actually enjoyed the thrill that he might be caught? She continued to ponder the reasons for Henry's actions, when she was startled by the splash of a man bursting out of the water several feet away from her. She squinted, unsure who it was at first in the dim light, but then the man grinned at her. She'd know that smirk anywhere. "Henry? What are you doing here?"  
  
"I could ask you the same question Detective," Henry answered with a wink. "Lovely night for a swim isn't it?"  
  
"Err..." said Jo not knowing quite how to respond. Then, to her surprise, Henry playfully splashed her and started swimming for shore. She then did the only thing she could do and took off after him, vowing to herself that they would talk about this later. For now she contented herself with admiring Henry's naked backside as he climbed up onto the pier.


	21. Over the Top

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jo feels a bit uncomfortable with the flowers that Isaac Monroe sent her. So does Henry, but for different reasons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I’m merely borrowing them for my own amusement.
> 
> Spoilers: Minor spoilers for Season 1 Episodes 16 and 18.
> 
> Author's Notes: This is a series of unrelated one shots and drabbles that I will continue to add to as I think of ideas.

Jo looked up from her paperwork and saw Henry exit the elevator. She couldn't help smiling as he quickly made his way toward her desk. He had that excited, almost manic, look on his face that he'd get when he had some incredible revelation.  
  
"Detective, I was hoping that we might go over..." Henry stopped walking a few feet from Jo's desk and frowned when he saw the large bouquet of red roses sitting there.  
  
Jo followed Henry's gaze and sighed. "Isaac Monroe sent them. I know what you're thinking Henry, and I agree with you. This is really over the top for someone I just met."  
  
"I didn't say anything of the sort," Henry protested.  
  
"You didn't have to. The grimace on your face says it all."  
  
"Detective, I think you might be misinterpreting..."  
  
"Look it's ok," said Jo cutting him off. "I told you I agree with you. It's really too much and it makes me a bit uncomfortable to be honest."  
  
"Jo I think that..." Henry trailed off. He inhaled sharply, and then sneezed loudly into the crook of his arm. "I think that we have very different reasons for objecting to the flowers," he said with a sniffle.  
  
Jo's eyes widened in understanding. "Bless you. You're allergic to them aren't you?"  
  
Henry nodded, then sneezed twice more into his arm, blinking watery eyes as he raised his head. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped both his nose and his eyes with it. "Indeed. It would probably be best if we moved this conversation to my office."  
  
"Yeah, sure," said Jo and followed Henry to the elevator. Once they were inside, Henry rubbed his nose, gasped, and then sneezed explosively into his handkerchief. He let out a soft groan as he blew his nose. "I'm really sorry."  
  
"Nonsense Jo. You have nothing to be sorry for," Henry replied with a warm smile. "You neither requested the flowers or had any knowledge of how I would react to them. Even if this wasn't the case, I can't expect the entire building to forgo romantic floral gifts on my account."  
  
Jo shrugged. "I still feel bad that you're suffering."  
  
"Thank you, I appreciate the sentiment."  
  
Jo winced as Henry sneezed three more times in rapid succession. "Are you going to be ok?"  
  
Henry blew his nose and nodded. "I should be fine in a few minutes. However, I do have some pills in my office that I can take if things don't settle down." He chuckled at Jo's raised eyebrow. "One never knows what substances will be on a body, and it's best to be prepared. Unfortunately, my nose is quite sensitive, and some scents prove to be rather overwhelming for me," Henry explained.  
  
"Well I'm grateful for your sensitive nose," Jo replied with a wry grin. "Your keen sense of smell has helped solve a case on multiple occasions."  
  
"This is very true," Henry said grinning back. The elevator arrived at the morgue and they disembarked. Henry sniffled and rubbed at his nose, trying not to sneeze again until they reached the relative privacy of his office. Walking briskly, it didn't take long for him and Jo to reach his office. He shut the door behind them and slid into the chair behind his desk, Jo taking one of the chairs on the opposite side. He quickly brought his handkerchief to his face just in time to catch two harsh sneezes.  
  
"Bless you," said Jo giving him a sympathetic smile.  
  
"Thanks," Henry answered before blowing his nose. He cringed at the state of his handkerchief, knowing that he'd have to resort to tissues if his allergies didn't calm down soon.  
  
"I know your sense of smell is good, but I doubt even you could still smell the flowers all the way down here," Jo teased.  
  
Henry rolled his eyes. "It just takes a little while to get the reaction out of my system. I'll be alright. Though perhaps I should take an antihistamine now just in case." He pulled a small bottle from his desk drawer, shook out a couple of pills, and swallowed them dry before returning the bottle to the drawer.  
  
"So I guess if we ever dated, I shouldn't expect flowers from you," Jo remarked jokingly.  
  
Henry shook his head with a slight smirk. "I'm afraid not. While there are some varieties of flowers that don't affect me this way, entering a florist's shop can be a rather trying experience."  
  
"Yeah I can imagine," Jo replied in a more serious tone.  
  
"I would hope that you'd find chocolate to be a suitable substitute."  
  
"I'd never say no to chocolate," said Jo with a wide grin. "It certainly tastes much better than flowers. In fact, we don't even have to be dating. Feel free to bring me chocolate any time."  
  
Henry laughed. "I shall keep that in mind for the next time I anger you." Henry switched gears, and began to go over his new theories on the case with Jo, only interrupting himself a few times to sniffle or sneeze.  
  
Jo nodded when Henry had finished. "Thanks. I'll definitely look into that."  
  
"Before you go, might I give you a bit of advice?" Henry asked cautiously.  
  
Jo narrowed her eyes, unsure if she actually wanted to hear what Henry had to say, but curiosity won out. "What is it?"  
  
"Although Mr. Monroe's courtship methods are extremely forward, I still believe it might be worth it to give him a chance. You deserve someone special who will make you happy. Now Mr. Monroe may or may not be that man, but you will never know if you don't try."  
  
"Thanks, I appreciate that Henry. Hanson agrees with you that I should go for it. I'm just not sure I'm ready," she said, unconsciously reaching for her necklace and fingering her wedding bands.  
  
"Just go on one date. What's the worst that can happen? If you don't like him or feel uncomfortable, then you never have to see him again," Henry pointed out.  
  
"You do have a point. I promise I'll think about it."  
  
"Fair enough. I just want to see you happy Jo."  
  
"Thanks Henry, you're a good friend. Well I'd better get going. I have some paperwork I need to get done in case I do decide to go on that date tonight. Sorry again about the flowers."  
  
Henry waved off her apology. "Really Jo, stop worrying yourself over that. I'm mostly recovered from the incident at this point. Have a good time tonight."  
  
Jo just shook her head and smiled as she left the office, wondering how he was so sure that she would opt to go on the date with Isaac.  
  
Henry sighed as he watched Jo walk out of the morgue. He wasn't sure why he was so eager to push Jo into Isaac's arms when he knew that he cared for her more deeply than one typically does for a friend or colleague. Jo's joke about them dating had really hit a nerve. He knew that a part of him did desire that, and yet he was still so heartbroken over Abigail that he wasn't sure that he was ready to be in a relationship with anyone. He certainly hadn't been ready when he had tried dating Molly. He just knew that he wanted Jo to be happy, even if that meant being with someone other than him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, I really didn't like Isaac that much and did not want to see Jo with him, but Henry was so supportive of her dating him on the show, that I felt I had to write it that way.


	22. Pancakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jo finds Henry in a very sticky situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I’m merely borrowing them for my own amusement.
> 
> Spoilers: Minor spoilers for Season 1 Episode 8.
> 
> Author's Notes: This is a series of unrelated one shots and drabbles that I will continue to add to as I think of ideas.

Jo opened the door to Henry's office and her mouth dropped open at what she saw. Henry's clothes were in a complete disarray, half hanging off his his body, and he appeared to be covered in maple syrup. He was gingerly patting himself with a towel, which seemed to be completely inadequate for cleaning up the mess at hand. "What the..." she trailed off, not even able to think of the words to finish her thought.  
  
Henry looked up at Jo startled. "Jo I can explain."  
  
"No no, you don't have to do that," Jo replied much as she had when she had seen Henry in restraints at Iona Payne's office.  
  
"But Jo..."  
  
"Look, just get yourself cleaned up and meet me upstairs so we can discuss that autopsy report, ok?" she said cutting him off. Henry sagged and nodded mutely. She then hurried out of the morgue, trying not to let her mind wander to places that she would prefer it didn't go.  
  
Half an hour later, Henry made his way up to the squad room. He was dressed in a pair of scrubs under his lab coat, and it looked as if he had managed to wash away all traces of the syrup. Jo still couldn't help smirking at him a bit though.  
  
Henry rolled his eyes. "Really Jo, it wasn't what it looked like."  
  
"Whatever you say, Pancake Man."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was inspired by [thatoneuselesself](http://thatoneuselesself.tumblr.com/post/119532483044/forever-character-nicknames) on Tumblr who seemed to think that Henry should be nicknamed Pancake Man. I have no idea why they wanted to nickname Henry Pancake Man, but this story was what my brain came up with.


	23. May That Be the Worst Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After an accident, Abe finally convinces Henry to get a cell phone.
> 
> \------
> 
> "But if I own a cell phone I'll be expected to use texting," said Henry with a shudder.
> 
> Abe rolled his eyes. "May that be the worst thing that ever happens to you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I’m merely borrowing them for my own amusement.
> 
> Author's Notes: This is a series of unrelated one shots and drabbles that I will continue to add to as I think of ideas.

"I am putting my foot down. You really need to get a cell phone," said Abe with a scowl.  
  
Henry sighed. "Abe you know how I feel about those devices."  
  
"Yeah, all that mumbo jumbo about them ruining the quality of communication," Abe muttered.  
  
"It's not mumbo jumbo," Henry insisted.  
  
"You're fine with talking on a land line. How is talking on a cell phone any different? Plus, you seem to have no problem calling other people on their cell phones or even borrowing someone else's cell phone if the need arises. It seems pretty hypocritical of you to be so against owning one of your own,"Abe pointed out.  
  
"But if I own a cell phone I'll be expected to use texting," said Henry with a shudder.  
  
Abe rolled his eyes. "May that be the worst thing that ever happens to you." Henry only responded by giving him a dubious look. "Besides, if texting really bothers you that much, you can always block it on your phone."  
  
"While texting is one of the primary reasons that I feel cell phones ruin the quality of communication, there are other reasons why I don't wish to own one. Another concern is having to replace it every time I die," Henry reminded Abe.  
  
"May that be the worst thing that ever happens to you," said Abe repeating his previous statement. "You don't need to get an expensive smart phone. A cheaper basic one will do. Besides, if you have enough money saved up to keep replacing those fancy expensive suits and scarves of yours, then you can afford to regularly replace a cell phone too. Who knows, maybe you can get a discount if you buy them in bulk."  
  
"I also simply don't wish to be available by phone twenty-four hours a day no matter where I am," Henry argued. "I'll never have moment of peace and quiet again."  
  
"For crying out loud Dad! That's the main point of having a cell phone, so that you're always reachable, especially in case of emergency," Abe shouted. "You don't have to give your number out to the whole world. If you want, I can be the only one who has it. Though I highly suggest giving Jo your number at least, and maybe Lucas too. If you had a cell phone, then I wouldn't have been stuck taking a cab to the hospital today, and I wouldn't have been stranded there for four hours longer than I needed to be because they refused to let me leave in a cab without someone to accompany me home."  
  
"It was only a dislocated shoulder," Henry pointed out, though he was starting to feel his resolve weaken.  
  
"And what if it had been a heart attack or a stroke? Are you telling me that you wouldn't want to be informed as soon as possible if it had been something much more serious?" Abe demanded.  
  
Henry sighed and sagged in defeat. "You're right, you're right. As soon as you have recovered, we will go shopping for a cell phone," Henry promised.  
  
"No, I want you to call Jo and ask her to take you," Abe replied firmly. "The sooner you have one the better."  
  
Henry narrowed his eyes at his son, knowing that it wasn't so much that the purchase of a cell phone couldn't wait a few days, but more the fact that if Jo took him to pick one out, he would be obliged to give her his number. Still, there was no telling how much longer he had with his son, and it couldn't hurt to humor him. "Very well. I will give Jo a call after dinner," he promised.  
  
"It does work both ways you know. Having a cell phone means you can more easily reach me in case of emergencies," Abe reminded him. "If you have enough warning prior to death, then you could call me, and it would make things much more convenient for the both of us."  
  
Henry chuckled. "Well it's hard to argue with that."  
  
"If you think you can get over your aversion to texting," said Abe, "then you could just text me the word 'river', and it would be much faster than a phone call."  
  
Henry gave Abe a wry grin before replying. "Well, I suppose it wouldn't be the worst thing that has happened to me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "May that be the worst thing that ever happens to you." is something that my mother often says to me if I complain about something trivial.


	24. Sound Investments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry reveals to Jo just exactly how he can afford all of his expensive clothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I’m merely borrowing them for my own amusement.
> 
> Spoilers: This story takes place post Season 1 finale with the assumption that Henry did in fact tell Jo the truth about his immortality. There are no actual spoilers for the season finale, but there are some minor spoilers for episode 10.
> 
> Author's Notes: This is a series of unrelated one shots and drabbles that I will continue to add to as I think of ideas. This story is a gift for [devouring-chaos](http://devouring-chaos.tumblr.com/) for the Henry’s 236th Birthday Gift Exchange.

Jo shook her head at Henry as he made his way to the shore and emerged from the river. She tossed him a towel, and he smiled sheepishly at her after catching it. She didn't bother looking away as he dried off. The sight of him naked had ceased to phase her, and if her watching him dry off and dress in the clothing she had brought bothered him, well that was his problem. "Henry, this has really got to stop. This is the eighth time this month."  
  
"Yes Jo, I know. Trust me, this is not ideal for me either. It just seems that the more careful I try to be, the more accident prone I become," Henry explained as he finished dressing and began to dry his hair.  
  
"Yeah, no kidding. You can easily trip and break your neck falling down the stairs in your own home, but if you run out into traffic without looking, you'll be perfectly fine," Jo said with a roll of her eyes.  
  
"Actually, it was electrocution this time, caused by faulty wiring in an antique lamp that Abe had acquired. I consider myself rather lucky that it happened to me and not him," Henry said, trying to hide the anxiety he felt when he considered what could have happened.  
  
Jo frowned. "Ok, I guess this is one time where I'd have to say that I'm actually glad you died. If you hadn't found the defect in the lamp..." she trailed off, knowing just how bad it would have been.  
  
"Yes, I know. Though, once Abe finds out what happened, he will want to use me as a guinea pig to test out all future electrical items he acquires," Henry replied with a wry grin. "Not that I'd mind, of course. I would do anything to keep him safe."  
  
Jo couldn't help but smile. Henry had always seemed so good with children, and once she found out about his immortality, and that Abe was really his son, it all made sense. She could see how much he adored Abe, and she had no doubt that he would willingly put himself in danger to keep him safe.  
  
"Speaking of which," Henry continued, "may I borrow your phone to call Abe and warn him about the lamp?" Jo nodded and handed over her phone. Henry called Abe and then returned the phone when he was finished. "Thank you. I can relax now knowing that Abe won't accidentally electrocute himself."  
  
"Why exactly did you call me before trying him this time anyway?" Jo asked as they started walking back towards her car.  
  
"He had just gotten into the shower to get ready for a date when this happened. I doubted he would have heard the phone ringing over the water," Henry explained.  
  
Jo nodded. "Is he still seeing Fawn?"  
  
"Yes, and they seem to be rather serious about one another. I'm not sure if either of them will want to remarry, but I am glad that Abe is finding happiness in her companionship," Henry replied with a warm smile.  
  
"Can I ask you something?" said Jo after they got in the car and she started to drive back to the antiques shop.  
  
"Of course, Jo. When I shared the secret of my immortality with you, I told you that you could ask me anything you wanted," Henry assured her.  
  
"I once asked you how you could afford all of your expensive clothing on your salary, and you told me that you had saved some money over the years. Clearly two centuries is plenty of time to save up quite a bit of money, but given how expensive your tastes are, and how frequently you lose clothing when you die, aren't you in danger of going broke?"  
  
Henry chuckled. "I appreciate your concern, Jo. However, my finances are quite stable. I have quite a few investments that generate plenty of passive income. If I really wanted to, I could retire, but I would surely go mad with boredom."  
  
Jo's eyes widened in surprise. "So basically you're loaded?"  
  
"I suppose, if that's the modern parlance," Henry answered with a nod.  
  
Jo shook her head as she let this new information sink in. "Wow... I just... I guess I should have known based on how well you dress, but you just never gave off that kind of vibe."  
  
"Well, while I did originally come from a wealthy family, there have been times in my long life when I had very little. I am capable of being humble," Henry explained.  
  
"So what kinds of investments do you have?" Jo couldn't help but ask.  
  
"Stocks mostly. I own stocks in various precious metals and in quite a few prominent companies such as Apple, IBM, and Google." Henry took a deep breath and braced himself for Jo's reaction.  
  
Jo opened and closed her mouth a few times in disbelief before responding. "You've got to be kidding me. You own stocks in those companies when you can barely even use a computer?" she asked a bit incredulously.  
  
"Yes well, I may not be very proficient with modern technology, and some of it I downright disapprove of, but I can recognize a sound investment when I see one," Henry explained. "I'm rather grateful that Abe brought these companies to my attention when they were first starting out so I could buy the stocks at low cost."  
  
Jo let out a low whistle of appreciation when she imagined just how loaded he really was. She glanced over at Henry, and he looked like he was equal parts smug and uncomfortable. After she parked in front of the antiques shop, she turned to look  at him. "You know, Henry," she said with a teasing grin, "I'm not entirely sure that this is a secret that I can keep to myself."  
  
"Detective Martinez, are you blackmailing me?" Henry asked in a mock offended tone, finding that he couldn't keep from returning her grin.  
  
"And what if I am?" Jo playfully challenged.  
  
Henry let out an overly dramatic sigh. "I don't suppose a dinner out at a nice restaurant would buy your silence?"  
  
"It might," Jo answered, pretending to think it over. "We'll just have to see."  
  
Henry rolled his eyes and laughed. He knew he had nothing to worry about. Jo had proven herself trustworthy after she had learned of his condition, and he knew he could rely on her discretion in all matters, big or small.


	25. Papyrus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jo overhears a joke that Abe makes at Henry's expense and decides to subtly tease him about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I’m merely borrowing them for my own amusement.
> 
> Spoilers: Takes place after Season 1 Episode 17, and has minor spoilers for the beginning of that episode.
> 
> Author's Notes: This is a series of unrelated one shots and drabbles that I will continue to add to as I think of ideas. This story was written for the Fall 2015 Forever Fanfiction Writing Contest. Thanks very much to Superlc529 for her beta work!

Henry looked down, perplexed at the note lying on his desk. It was a short note from Jo asking him to come upstairs when he got the chance, to discuss the results of the blood work on their current case. Jo didn't usually leave notes for him. When she did, she would normally scribble them out on a notepad. This note was typed and printed out, which seemed rather unnecessary for such a short note. The font used was also unusual. He didn't recognize it, but it had a somewhat fancy, if old, look to it. He decided that it probably didn't mean anything and headed up to Jo's floor to go over the blood work with her.  
  
The second time Henry received such a note from Jo, he dismissed it again as having no significance. The third time such a note was left on his desk, he found himself growing more curious as to why Jo was opting for this form of communication, and in this particular style.  
  
"Something wrong, Doc?" Lucas asked when he noticed Henry staring at a piece of paper, lost in thought with a slight frown on his face.  
  
Henry looked up, slightly startled at Lucas's sudden appearance. "It's probably nothing. It's just that Jo has begun to leave me notes printed out from the computer rather than the handwritten ones that she usually leaves me on the rare occasions that she does leave notes for me."  
  
"Did you complain about her handwriting?" Lucas guessed.  
  
"No I haven't. Jo's handwriting is perfectly legible," Henry replied a bit indignantly. "Though, I'm rather puzzled over the font she used for her notes. It's certainly not something you'd see in professional correspondence."  
  
Lucas moved around to the other side of Henry's desk to look at the note. "Oh, that font is called Papyrus. It's often used for fantasy type things. It gives an old world feel to the text while still being fairly easy to read. I'm a fan of it, even if it is overused," he explained. "Maybe she thought you'd like it since you're so old-fashioned?"  
  
"Hmm, I see. Perhaps that's all it is. Thank you, Lucas."  
  
"No problem, Doc."  
  
After Lucas left his office, Henry turned the word 'papyrus' over and over in his mind. There was something about it that was nagging at him, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out its significance. He did his best to put it out of his mind and returned to his work.  
  
\------  
  
The next morning, to Henry's great surprise, he found a piece of papyrus lying on his desk. It looked new, but it was covered in Egyptian hieroglyphs. He thought it might be related to a case. He wasn't fluent in ancient Egyptian, but he could just about make it out. He let out a long exasperated sigh when he deciphered the writing, which turned out to be from Jo, asking him to come see her as soon as he received her message. Clearly this note on papyrus was connected to the previous notes that Jo had left him in Papyrus font, but once again, he wasn't sure of the significance. Well, he was certainly going to find out.  
  
Henry rode the elevator up to Jo's floor and marched up to her desk, the sheet of papyrus tightly clutched in one hand. Jo looked up at him with an amused smirk on her face. Henry felt himself growing extremely annoyed, though he wasn't even sure why. "Jo, what is the meaning of this?" he asked, thrusting the papyrus into her hands.  
  
Jo pretended to study the sheet of papyrus. "Looks like ancient Egyptian writing on papyrus. As for what it means, well you're the one who seems to know so many languages. You tell me."  
  
Henry sighed wearily and ran a hand over his face. "Jo, I know you left me this note. Where did you even obtain papyrus?"  
  
Jo couldn't help but let out a small giggle. "You can order it online actually. It's fairly cheap."  
  
"And the Egyptian hieroglyphs?" Henry asked, feeling his patience waning.  
  
"I know a guy at a museum," Jo explained with a wry grin. "I had a feeling you'd have no trouble reading them."  
  
"So why? What is the point of all this? Clearly this note, combined with the previous ones printed out in Papyrus font is meant to be some sort of joke. Could you please end this and let me in on it?" Henry pleaded.  
  
Jo chuckled. "Well, you remember last week when I called you up to come to a crime scene that started that investigation into The Faceless?"  
  
Henry nodded. "Yes, of course. What exactly does that have to do with this?"  
  
"Before Abe handed the phone to you, I overheard him saying that I should write you a note on papyrus. It was too good an opportunity to pass up." Jo replied with a wide grin.  
  
Henry's eyes widened in recognition and he let out a low sigh of disappointment. "So this was all a joke at my expense to tease me about being old-fashioned?"  
  
"Oh come on, Henry. Don't be like that. Even you have to admit, it's a little funny," Jo insisted.  
  
Henry was, in truth, somewhat hurt by the joke, but he could see the humor in it. He knew that Jo had no idea how old he really was and that she had only meant to be playful. "I suppose..." he admitted reluctantly.  
  
"Hey, at least I didn't leave you a clay tablet with cuneiform pictographs."  
  
Henry burst out laughing in spite of himself at Jo's remark, and Jo soon joined him. It wasn't often that anything could make him laugh like that, and all of the hurt and annoyance he felt simply melted away. He resolved to never take moments like these with Jo for granted. After all, she wouldn't be around forever.


End file.
